Book 1: The Rabbit Hole
by Inuismyhomeboi
Summary: Book 1 of 3. When Sakura pursues an unusual stalker down a hole and winds up in a strange land where nothings impossible, will she be able to find her way home? Or will destiny put a different path into play? [SxS][TxY][ExT]
1. I: Down the Rabbit Hole

_**Hey all! I'm back with a new story, I put a lot of thought into this one, and think the final product is a good one. Anywho, its the Cardcaptors thrown into the disturbing and drug induced world of Wonderland. However, its not your classic story, and wont tie in exactly. However, there will be three parts, this is part one. I don't know how many chapters there'll be, I'm not too concerned about that. Anywho, here we go**!_

_(You may skip the following, and just read the story, hah!)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors, unfortunately, and I don't own Alice in Wonderland, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, or anything I may mention about Alice Liddell, I DON'T OWN IT! . Had to cover all means that would support the domain from deleting this. If its Lewis Carroll, I don't own it. If its Cardcaptors, I don't own it, if its musical lyrics, which I may or may not use, in this case probably not, I don't own it! So there! All Loopholes disintegrated and on with the story!!(phew, that was one hell of a disclaimer, eh??)_

Book 1: The Rabbit Hole

_ Kirra H._

I: Down the Rabbit Hole

The school bell had rung just shy of ten minutes ago, and one girl still sat in class, head down, scribbling nonsense on a paper, Her teacher watching her carefully.

_I will not be forwardly imaginative in class _she wrote 50 times over. _"Which makes absolutely no sense, considering this is CREATIVE WRITING. Where's the Creativity in writing a fictional story about a true event? Last I checked, that's what historical fiction was for."_ she thought angrily, slamming the pencil down once her task was complete. The teacher frowned and nodded in approval.

"Fine, you may go now, Sakura, but from here on out, I want your 'creativity' locked in a metal box in my class. I'll not have any papers that sound as though they were written while on drugs. They'll never get anywhere." she rambled, watching the girl stumble out and slam the door behind her. Once outside, she began her everyday trek home, making to cross at the intersection like usual. Only today, she found a familiar, yet completely strange face staring at her from across the street. The man had been stalking her for the past two days and today, she would find out why. He wore very strange clothes; A green top hat with a bright orange ribbon tied around it, A white dress shirt, accompanied by a green waistcoat and black trousers. From the pocket of his waistcoat, and sitting in his gloved hand, was a small gold pocket watch.

"Hey!!" She called, running after him, causing the grin on his face to disintegrate and him to break of into a brisk sprint. She sped after him, running and screaming wildly down streets she wasn't sure she knew well, until she finally came to slow halt about fifteen minutes later in front of a large hole near the hillside. The man smiled, and before she could even ask for an explanation, he fell backwards into the hole behind them, not even making so much as a whimper. Sakura stood, completely confused, for only a moment, before unconsciously leaping in after him. No thought in her head about what she was about to fall in to.

It seemed as though she had been sailing through the darkness for hours before a faint blob of light began to stick out oddly in front of her. Something out of place, seeing as any light source should be coming from below her...not in front of her. However, in one fell swoop, she turned sideways and the light grew and grew until it surrounded her and she fell with a resounding thud on what felt like marble floors. Quickly standing up and steadying herself on a wall, she opened her eyes slowly and began to look around.

Her surroundings were about as odd as the clothes of her stalker. White and Black checked marble floors lined the room-which was near ballroom sized- and the walls were lined with white and crimson red stripes, a metallic black color painted onto the crown moldings. The decor was simple, a small coffee table supporting an even smaller ornate box, boasting an elaborate treat display sign. There was a large out of place blue bureau with glass paneling, small animal figures sitting inside, and next to the piece was a large brown leather chair, a matching ottoman at its feet. To the right was a window, its glass pained to look like scenery, and to the left, a winding hallway with portraits of unusual looking people with eccentric and gaudy clothes. Sakura frowned at a few of them, but then began to ignore as she made her way to the end of the hallway, where a large French door sat in wait, one of its doors opened slightly.

Pulling open the door fully, Sakura slid into another equally large room, ornately furnished and oddly decorated, green and yellow stripes ran vertically throughout the rooms walls whereas the floor was a sky blue.

_"Whoever designed this place must have been color blind..."_ Sakura thought, rolling her eyes and moving forward, her heels clicking on the floor as she went. There were four doors, each a different shade of green, and three blocked off by wood panels, old and torn furniture, and a large and frightening sculpture of a pink and purple cat. The fourth, however, and notably the smallest, was unblocked, and, like its predecessor, hanging open just slightly, a strange dark mist creeping from its wound. Shuffling towards it apprehensively, Sakura soon came to find that the door was no taller than her knees, but just wide enough for a slim-figured person to crawl through. Sliding onto her knees, she proceeded forward, stopping for a minute to work the door-which was surprisingly heavy- open, the oppressing darkness smothering her completely.

* * *

The darkness clearing on the other end brought into perspective a large forest, its trees various colors and shades, and the small paths carved inside painted red. Sakura stood up and brushed her pants off where a red dust covered them, and begin to scan the area for anything familiar. After finding nothing at all, she began to move from the safety of the exit-which, instead of a door, was a hole in a tree- and picked up on a path to the right, where faded shoe prints scattered the ground. Before long however, that path broke off into several, all of which littered with footprints. Looking back, she found that her prints were near identical in shape and size, some overlapping her trail, and realized attempting to figure out the right path would be futile. Frowning angrily, she slid off the path into a small clearing where a single log sat, a small shaft of light shining on it from somewhere in the presumable afternoon sky. But what with the thick tree covering, she only got a glimpse of blue every so often.

Sitting down on the log, she drew her knees up to her chin and began rocking back and forth, a small crunching sound coming from the grass below. Listening for any sign of her stalker, (figuring if he was out to rape her, he would be sneaking up on her any minute now) she perked up when footsteps were heard coming from a forest path. Watching the three in view anxiously, hoping whoever it was could help, she hardly had time to notice that the log under her began to heave back and forth heavily. A cold fear dripped down her back when she saw the footprints that preceded the stepping noise, and no one was around to make the footprints, which were now traveling down an opposite path at fast pace. Standing up quickly and backing against the nearest tree, she watched as a small girl emerged from the very log she sat on moments ago, followed by what must have been her identical twin. The two stood up and shook dust off their backs like a dog would water, and grasped each others hands.

"Hello!" they called in unison, beckoning Sakura over to them.

"Um...Hi. Do either of you know how to get out of here?" she asked, folding her hands in front of her stomach. They shrugged and pointed to the red path a few feet from them.

"There's a path. And one over there, and one over there...but that's about it." They said together, counting off areas on their free hands. Sakura raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood to play games, so could one of you-"

"-Oh, I love games, don't you?" They asked , tilting their heads to the side, much like a mirror copying a reflection.

"ah..ha...ok, its cute that you two act like twins and all, but I really need to-"

"-You two? Twins?? Who are you talking to!? My names Rika...and yours?" The two stated, every word in synch with the others.

"Um...Sakura, what on earth are you talking about??" she questioned, completely confused by their methods of conversation.

"Sakura, that's a nice name." they said together. "My name is Rika, like I said. There's only two of me. One if you concentrate real hard, four if you cross your eyes, but I like two just fine, thanks." they echoed, smiling childishly.

"Um...okay. Rika, then. Can you tell me what path I should take to get out of the forest? I'm lost." she said sadly. The two Rikas smiled and nodded.

"Sure, but you're not lost! I found you, I think...unless you found me. Did you find me? I can't remember!" They said, scratching their heads with the free hand.

"Anyways. If you want to get out of the forest, keep walking! It doesn't matter where, just walk! You wont be lost soon enough. I have to go. My brothers need me to help with dinner." she stated sternly.

"You sure you don't mean brother?" Sakura called as the two began to walk away. They turned around and shook their heads.

"No. Brothers. I have eight of them after all. Bye now!!" they called. Sakura watched as the two merged into one and disappeared into the forest in front of her. She stared for a minute or so more before turning and stepping back onto the path, which was now a navy blue color.

"Hmm. Must be getting dark. Dad will be worried about me..." she said, looking back towards the door she came from, frowning when she saw that in place of the large tree were thick shrubs and a bramble patch. She sighed loudly and wiped her eyes.

"I guess home isn't an option right now. Oh well. Best to keep moving. Who knows what kind of animals come out at night." she said to herself before choosing the path to the right and making her way down it. As she walked on, Night fell and settled down on the earth. And somewhere, a bloodcurdling howl echoed in the distance.

* * *

_**OKAY! That's the first chapter. Tell me what you think, okay? Because I've never done anything like this before and I don't know exactly how well it will be received. I really am going out on a limb here and stretching the classic story. Though you may find some familiar aspects. **_

_**  
Its funny because right when I got this chapter done, I learned that we have to do a thesis paper on a British author for my British Literature class. I immediately chose Lewis Carroll. Hands down, no second guessing. I'm strangely looking forward to this too. Anywho, I'm ranting. Leave me a review and tell me honestly what you thought, critique is welcome. Flames, not so much, but oh well.  
Until Next Time!  
Ja!  
Kirra**_


	2. II: The Forever Forest

_**Ok, I got a review signed by 'pointless' asking why I was writing this when there was already an episode with the same theme. Now I'm not sure whether the review was meant simply as a question, or put in to flame, because this person said that they doubted I could never live up to that episode. Well, here's some news 'pointless'; I, myself, personally, DO NOT CARE that there was an episode with this theme. In fact, I could care less, because I can guarantee you that if you continue to read, you will find that this is NOTHING like the Alice in Wonderland you THINK you know, and its NOTHING like that episode. And for that matter, when you ask "Why write about something that's already done?" Than you may as well ask "Why the hell do people write fanfics??" Sure, I use the characters from a certain anime and on occasion the setting or simple basic storyline from it or another, but I am a writer aspiring to be an author of some sort later in life, and I put these characters and settings into completely unfamiliar schemes and plots, something that, I hope, nobody has ever heard or read before. And if you have heard something loosely like them, then it is merely coincidence. So you ask me why I write this?? Well, I think you've just obtained your answer. **_

_**  
Anywho, on a lighter note, here's the second chapter, and for those who know me, you know something great will be up and coming, when however, I cannot say. That's just what I do. If anyone is a reader from "A Place to Call Home" Then you can bet that I will do this series the same justice I did that story; which is writing it to the best of my ability and praying that my readers enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Anywho, now that I am all done with my ranting, on with the story eh??**_

_**OH! Lil' disclaimer here: I DO use quotes from the movie in this chapter. I don't own them. Okay, done.**_

II: The forever forest.

Pushing aside tall hedges and a few rose bushes, Sakura stepped through what she thought was the end of the forest, only to come upon a clearing, the woods surrounding cloaked with ivy and black eyed Susans.  
She sighed, exasperated and tired more than she had ever been before,

"What the hell IS this place anyways...I cant tell if its day or night around here. The sky is always a weird blue..." she muttered, looking up and frowning at the never-changing cerulean blue blanket.

Wiping her head on her sleeve, she sighed and stumbled down yet another path. Her stomach was moaning now and she lost track of how long she had been walking. The scenery had changed a bit, however, which was refreshing compared to the common dark shrubs and topless trees. The forests had thinned out a bit, and along the pathways, small shrubs with electric blue berries were hedging the dirt perfectly, not overgrown in the least and abundant in berries. Sakura studied them carefully while her stomach bid her eat, however she shook her head. "Never trust neon berries..." she grumbled, continuing on her way.

It had seemed, to Sakura, that time seemed to stop here. She had concluded thus far due to the always blue sky and the constant presence of strange birds. After about an hour or so of traveling and figuring she was better off concerning herself with her own life than that of her now non-existent stalker, she came to a halt at another crossroads. Needing to rest horribly, she flopped down in the dead center of the intersection and buried her head in her hands, sighing loudly.

"What are you doing?" she said, regarding the footsteps she heard walking around her. Looking up, she saw that nobody was there, yet two footprints stood facing her, and a small tapping sound was coming from the right one.

"You know, nothing surprises me anymore. So talk, even if I cant see you..." she complained tiredly. A loud sigh came from about eight feet above her and a small, grumbled compliance. A small cloud of dust kicked up from where the prints stood, and about three feet away, another was formed where a figure was dripping into focus on one of the tree branches. It was as though his physical features were poured over his head, a bit more of him sliding into place until he sat whole. The man was tall, assumingly, somewhere around six feet tall, and had black hair that cascaded down his back, held together by a small pink ribbon at the bottom of his neck. His outfit was similar to Sakuras stalker; black trousers, a white shirt with a soft pink vest, covered partially by a Royal Purple riding jacket. He smiled down at her from over his small black rimmed eyeglasses and nodded respectively.

"I commend you, madam for finding me so easily. However, methinks my footprints gave me away..." he said quizzically, looking down at the path he had trod. Sakura moaned in agreement and struggled to get to her feet.

"Listen, I'm really tired and don't have time to play around...so could you tell me how to get out of here?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair. The man stared at her for a moment before taking a deep breath and standing up on his perch.

"And, where is 'here', exactly?" he asked, scratching his head aggressively and flicking something from his fingertip.

"Sorry, leafs." he explained, leaving Sakura confused and mildly disgusted.

"Don't you mean _fleas_?" she asked. The man shook his head;

"No. Leafs. What's a flea?? Never heard of them..." he said before breaking off into a quieted tune, humming it breathlessly. Sakura rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Never mind. Can you tell me how to leave the forest?" She asked, a little more specific than last time. The man shook his head.

"Yes. But why would you want to leave?" he asked, looking at her with a confused expression.

"I'm tired of the same thing every time I turn a corner! I'm lost and tired and hungry...and I want to go home...but I don't think I can..." she said, starting to mumble a bit.

"Sorry Dear, your going to have to speak up, my hearing isn't what it used to be..." he said, small black cat ears twisting anxiously atop his head. She stared incredulously and blinked a few times.

"Where'd those come from!?" she asked, pointing to his head.

"WHAT?! Where?? Is there something on my head?? GET IT OFF!!" He cried, shaking his head vigorously, the small appendages flying off in random directions.

"I'm on drugs...or dreaming...or both. This can't be real. It's just not possible." she whispered, pacing around in a small circle.

"What are you doing?? Its not time for dancing...I thought you had a question!!?" He said angrily, hopping down from the tree and grabbing her shoulders.

"YES!!" she squealed "I DO! I've been asking it for the past five minutes!!" she said, breaking free of his clutch and backing up a smidge. " So do you know or not!?" she asked as soon as she was a safe distance away.

"Know what?" he asked, completely innocent looking again. Sakura groaned and stomped her foot.

"WHERE TO GO!! I need to get out of here!! I...I don't know which way to go..." she said sadly, her voice cracking a bit. The man nodded and sighed.

"Right. Well, you could always go see the Mad Hatter... in that direction" he offered, pointing out the path.

"No, I don't think so..." she said, a bit apprehensive of the title. The black haired man shrugged.

"Or, you could go see the March Hare...in that...direction." he said, pointing out another path. Sakura looked for a minute before nodding.

"I think I'll go see him." She said, beginning to walk.

"Oh! But you know, he's mad too." The man crooned. Sakura turned around and frowned angrily.

"But I don't want to go among MAD people!!" she cried. The man smiled and shook his head, a deep laugh echoing from his throat.

"Oh...You can't help that. You see, we're all mad here. You may have realized...that, I'm not...all there...myself??" He said, his laugh growing louder as his image started fading. He began to hum again, and soon, all that remained were his glasses, which fell to the ground a disappeared with a spark. Sakura whirled around and began to run in the last direction he pointed out, before he called her back, sounding very urgent. She slid to a halt and slowly walked back, to find the man balancing perfectly on his head. Literally. She stared, feeling slightly sick now, and stared on.

"Yes?" she choked, looking away briefly.

"Can you stand on your head?" he asked before laughing and disappearing again. Sakura scoffed and turned on her heel, marching down the path she was previously headed down. Frustration now added to her list of things this place made her feel. Nauseous being high on the rankings.

* * *

Another good amount of time passed before Sakura began to see changes in her surroundings. The Trees were falling into straight, orderly lines and the grasses were trimmed and clean. Soon, white picket fences began to line the path, which lead to a wooden gate. Rose bushes lined the inside of the yard and off to the left, a large banquet table was set up, white tablecloths covering it totally, and a random assortment of chairs were placed carefully around. However, no house was in sight, which was weird. Sakura frowned and jiggled the gate a few times before it swung open leisurely. Letting the gate swing closed behind her, she shuffled to where the table-setting was. Sitting at either end of the table was a boy about her age, possibly older. The man at the far end of the table smiled and tapped his hand on the table. 

"Toya, I believe we have a guest..." he said, his voice smooth and airy. The boy called Toya looked up groggily and rubbed his eye before smiling broadly and jumping out of his seat.

"Welcome! Please, have a seat...how rude of me. Please, take mine, I'll sit by Yukito, here." he rambled, pushing Sakura into a seat and running to the end of the table, sliding into a large wicker chair.

"Um...hello..." she called nervously, looking at the two on the other end of the table as they linked hands and began to drink from small delicate looking tea cups. They frowned and looked up at her.

"Yes?? Well, help yourself, we did invite you after all..." The silver haired one, Yukito, said. Sakura looked down at a small white cup in front of her and picked it up.

"Um, Thanks...I guess." She said softly before taking a small sip. The two began to stare at each other lovingly and Toya smiled childishly before remembering that someone else was there.

"Oh, right...Um, you wanted something, yes?" Toya asked, turning his attention to Sakura.

"How did you...oh, never mind. I was wondering, Do either of you know how to get out of the forest? I'm afraid I've lost my way..." she said uncomfortably. The Silver haired boy, Yukito, looked up from the other boy and sighed.

"Yes, we know how. But the only way to get out is by going near the castle. And why would you want to do that? They're not good people...not nice. Unlike us..." he said softly, his voice somewhat entrancing. Sakura blinked a few times and shook her head.

"That's okay, I think I can deal. But what I CANT deal with is this place. I've been lost for days..." she sighed, taking another sip of her tea. She was beginning to feel sleepy. Toya smiled.

"We know. The forest was grown for that purpose, to throw people off, misguide them. Usually they find their way to the Jabberwocky's lair and, well...that's never good." Toya sighed.

"But you..." Yukito said,

"You...I think, are different. You're very strong, I'll give you that. But you wont last much longer. Look at you, your exhausted." he said, smiling. Sakura nodded and impulsively took another sip of her drink, exhaustion closing in on her quickly.

"I mean, look at you, your eyes, droopy...your complexion, pale. Poor thing. You should stay here with us. We'll be your mommy and daddy, hmm? What say you??" Yukito crooned, his voice seeming, now, melodic and sweet. Like a soothing lullaby. Sakuras vision began to blur and she nearly closed her eyes, but something inside of her told her this was wrong. She shook her head and stood up.

"No...No I cant! I-I have to go. Go...somewhere. I'll find my way out. You'll see! Some help you two were." She scolded, turning around quickly and stumbling out of the yard. The gate wouldn't open, so she resorted to jumping over it. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he head began to spin wildly and a split second later, she was on her knees, clutching at her head. Yukito and Toya glided over to her, hands linked, wry smiles on their faces.

"Wha---What did you do?" she cried, rocking back and forth. She rolled onto her back and groaned, as it seemed every little thing made her body shoot with pain.

"Oh dear..." Toya said apathetically, leaning his head on Yukito's shoulder.

"I think she has drank too much." Yukito laughed. Suddenly, their moods changed and Sakuras pain subsided, occupied now by a complete and total numbness.

"Damn that Jabberwocky and his venom..." Yukito laughed heartily.

"Toya, grab her, I'm sure the Queen would LOVE to see THIS one." a voice said from behind the two. Appearing from the trees, a man, Sakuras stalker, no less, waltzed forward, smiling maliciously.

"Yes, sir." Toya said dutifully as Yukito linked his arm through the stalkers.

* * *

_**OH, mai. I do believe I have changed things up a bit here!! Hahahahah...I told you...anyways, what do you think so far?? I always try to make things my own in whatever way I can, so I think I may be doing it justice. Anywho, I'll have an update soon!  
Until next time!  
Ja!  
Kirra**_


	3. III: Takashi, The White Rabbitt

III: Takashi, The White Rabbitt. 

"Sir! How much longer?" Toya barked angrily, struggling with the sleeping girl in his arms.

"Not MUCH farther, Toya, I swear, I know these forests like the back of my hand." he sighed.

"Good." Toya sighed, relieved at the news..

"Um...sir?" Toya called nervously.

"Yes?"

"Why is Yukito riding your back?" he asked, somewhat confused at the whole bit. The man shrugged and Yukito looked up at Toya.

"Because, I got tired and Takashi offered to carry me. Not every day an assassin lets someone ride piggyback." he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Toya shrugged.

"Well, could YOU come and carry her now? She's not as light as she looks." he complained childishly. Yukito rolled his eyes and hopped off the mans back. She pulled the unconscious girl into his arms and flung her over his back.  
"You know..." the Black haired man called;  
"You could both carry her...someone grab her arms and the other grab her feet..." he grinned. Toya shook his head.

"No freaking way. Too conspicuous..." he sighed, shrugging his shoulders and crossing his arms across his chest stubbornly. Yukito laughed loudly, a random outburst from his usually quiet personality;

"Oh, Toya, your so adorable when your angry. Sometimes makes me wish you were angry more often..." he sighed adoringly. Toya rolled his eyes and snapped a retort.

"Oh, this coming from the man who's title is 'The Mad Hatter'." he sighed, rather aggravated by the entire conversation. Yukito laughed again, but then fell silent. The black hared man sighed and slowed to a halt.

"Do either of you remember the way to The Mirror?" he queried, obviously puzzled. The two sighed in unison.  
"I swear, Takashi, you'd lose your head were it not attached to your neck." Toya complained, running his fingers through his hair.

"Or we could take him to see that batty old Queen of Hearts. I'm sure shed get a HUGE kick out of it." Yukito sighed. Toya nodded in agreement.  
"Mmm...yes, she is frightening, isn't she? Lopping off heads left and right..." Takashi piped in, looking around a large clearing ahead of them curiously. "I swear it was around here somewhere...Ah! I found it! Come on then, best not keep the Queen waiting." he called, strutting in between two large pine trees and disappearing .

* * *

Consciousness was sometimes better left alone. At least that's what Sakura had been thinking for the last few hours. It was fuzzy and some of it seemed very dreamlike, but she was sure it was real, in some way. She remembers being picked up from a small dark room where she had woken, and dragged by the underarms through countless hallways, all of which seemed to go on forever. Then, she was thrown onto her knees, which were sore from being dragged on the concrete floor. Somebody pulled her hair up and a bright light hit her straight in the face. She squeezed her eyes shut to block it out. Then the voices started, amplified and screaming through her ears, her head pounding from the volume. 

"Oh, yes! She is interesting, isn't she? I wonder where she's from..." a woman's voice asked. It was distorted and fuzzy, the intonations running wild from high pitch squeaks to low rumbles barely audible. She was demanding and slightly confused, it sounded, however, were you to disregard the volume of her speech, it almost sounded like one of the bratty little children who lived down the street from her. "See...I told you it would be worth it." This time, the voice was unmistakable. Granted, it too, was distorted and hardly worth listening to, She had only heard it once, but it accompanied one person only; her stalkers'. The female voice laughed, genuinely excited and clapped her hands. Each clap like thunder raging in her head.

"Oh, Bravo, Rabbitt! I am proud of you..." she awarded. The man sighed and coughed lightly.

"your majesty..." he said, his hand tightening on her head, sharp nails digging into her scalp.  
"We are in private company. I doubt this girl can barely understand what were saying. You can call me Takashi...you are my, well..." he trailed off, embarrassed by what might have slipped. The woman fell silent and sighed.

"Oh, I suppose you have a point. I'm sorry, Takashi." she said, emphasizing his name slightly. Sakura moaned, but she couldn't place whether it had escaped her lips or if she had merely thought of it. Her captive, Takashi, gave her head a violent shake and let her head fall limp again, a few strands of choppy hair hitting her eyelids. It felt like someone was stabbing them, however.

"The venom must be starting to wear off now. What would you have me do with her, Highness?" he asked, grabbing her under the arms and flinging her over his back. Sakuras head shook violently, her chin bouncing against the mans hard shoulder and sending a chattering surge through her jaw. Another whimper escaped, bringing with it a hard jolt from her captive, intended to shut her up.

"Ohh...well, I do like her.She's interesting, I'd much like to see what she behaves as when she wakes. Put her in the cage...I'll acquaint myself with her after croquet." she finished. Then, the man bowed and turned briskly, Sakuras head flopping around limply and then bouncing up and down on his shoulder still as he ran down the hallways again. She moaned, making a slight attempt to lift her head and open her eyes, but all she got was a roaring in her hears and a penetrating darkness.

Sakura lay awake for hours, unable to move, unable to see, though she could clearly tell her eyes were open on several occasions.

_"That's what you get for following some strange man down a HOLE, Sakura...you get drugged and held captive. Way to go, __genius"_ she scolded herself best she could without making her head pound again. All she could do, it would seem was build up enough strength to roll over onto her side or back before being exhausted again. Her hearing was impaired, even the slightest shuffle sounded ten times louder and closer than it actually was. She doubted the pain would go away any time soon. Sakura rolled over onto her stomach quickly and spread her arms out to her sides, scratching her nails on the floor, listening to the high pitched screech it caused. She figured, perhaps, the more pain she received, the sooner she would feel numb and nothing would hurt anymore. Soon though, the screech was silenced by a resounding slam of the metal door she remembered being carried through. A few small items were thrown around-she could tell they were small because they didn't make as much of a noise- and then loud footsteps could be heard thundering towards her.

"Get up." It was the woman, though her voice wasn't distorted much anymore, she could recognize it was the same person.

"I said GET UP!" she yelled, the scream causing Sakura to rush her hands to her ears to block it out.

"Oh you pitiful thing..." she sighed, more disappointed than sympathetic. She heard a door squeal open and the woman stepped inside, her heeled shoes clicking on the metal floor. Sakura was lifted up, carefully-which was surprising- and put sitting upright against bars. It was then she remembered they put her in a cage. The woman sat down and sighed.

"Dear, your going to have to respond to me sometime. I know you can talk. I heard you had quite the conversation with Toya and Yukito." she accused, tapping her fingers on the bottom of the cage. Sakura flopped her head up and opened her eyes. Still noting but black.

"hmm. Your eyes...they're pale. How unusual. I hope that venom hasn't done irreparable damage on you. Though I doubt it did." she said, speaking mostly to herself.

"What's your name, then?" she asked, quickly changing the subject to her. Sakura said her name, but apparently not aloud, for the woman growled and rapped her head.  
"I cant read lips! SPEAK UP!" she boomed, making Sakura shrink away.

"Sakura" she whispered, which was about all she could manage. The woman would have to deal.

"There we go. I suppose that's something. Sakura, then? How odd. No matter though. I am...well, I am...oh never mind. You may call me Your Highness." she said cordially.

"Now then, The Rabbitt tells me you followed him down here. Why would you do such a stupid thing...didn't your parents ever tell you not to mess with strangers??" she scolded, sounding much like Sakura five minutes ago.

"I...I don't know." she breathed, letting her head fall to stare blankly at the floor. The Queen laughed and smacked her shoulder playfully.

"Oh you silly child. You couldn't help it! You see, he is VERY...very persuasive. You only have to look at him and you will follow his every order! That's why I keep him. Best assassin I've ever had." she gloated proudly, an air of affection soiling her words.

"Now then. You, Sakura, correct? Yes that's right. Not that it matters, I could call you Betsy and it would be right to me. Are you a sportsmen? My competition has gone on a hiatus and I'm in desperate need of a match for croquet. Do you play?" she queried, honestly believing Sakura was up to such a thing.

"Ma'am..." she sighed.  
"I hardly think..." she breathed painfully, pausing for a moment to break into a fit of coughs.  
"...hardly think I am well enough for sports..." she finished, doubling over to breath heavily. The Queen scoffed and stood up with a huff.  
"Well. That's rude of you. Fine...but you WILL play. Eventually. I wont let you get out of it." she threatened. It was an odd threat, but it was loaded and Sakura trusted that she wouldn't go back on her words.

* * *

The buzzing in her ears had long since faded and sounds were normal again. Nothing distorted or unnaturally loud. But it had taken three days for it to be so. Sakuras head was still pounding insanely and her vision had yet to return, but she found that she had enough strength the sit herself up for a good while before letting gravity push her back down. 

_"what the hell kind of drug did they slip me? Nothing I've heard of left someone incapacitated for near a week..."_ she complained, lifting her hand up slowly to brush tears and stray hairs from her face. She hadn't been crying, but it had seemed that ever since her vision had fled, her tear ducts went into overdrive and refused to stop. Nobody had been in to see her since the Queen had come, save for one boy, a servant it would seem, who slid her a plate of food every now and again. Some good that did. She could never find it, aside from the fact that anything in her stomach would immediately come back up twofold. It soon came to a point were Sakura couldn't hear her stomach roaring anymore and she had lost track of how many days she had stayed in the cage, scooting around from one end to the other before falling down to the middle and curling into a small ball.

It was three days after she assumed the fetal position that somebody came that wasn't handing her inedible food. She made to push herself up, but found her arms to bear a striking resemblance to jam, and she fell back down, whapping her head on the ground. The person laughed, deep and concerned sounding. She figured it was a man, unless this lady had freakishly deep vocals.

"poor thing..." he whispered, making his way to where she lie and sliding his arms under her.

"Come on then...best get you back through The Mirror. Nothing good can happen here." he cooed, allowing Sakura to rest her head on his shoulders and giving her a respite from fighting to stay awake.

* * *

_**Chapter three is done. It was a bit short, but oh well. Gasp! Who is this mystery man that just saved her from the Clink?? I wonder? Well, no I don't, I know...but you wont find out until the next chapter! So until next time!  
Ja!  
Kirra**_


	4. IV: The Queen of Hearts

IV: The Queen of Hearts 

"Ow..." she muttered as she rolled over and hit her elbow on a table. A table, she couldn't remember one being in the cage. And it certainly wasn't a metal floor she was lying on. It was soft. And she was warm. It took her about two minutes to figure out she was in a bed. And it was an end-table that she had whacked her elbow on. Sitting up slowly, she propped herself on her elbows and looked around groggily. No sooner was she able to ask herself where exactly she was, the door creaked open and a woman, slender with black short hair and an ensemble much resembling a card in the hearts suite walked in, a tray of what looked like meds in her hand.

"Aw, your awake! I'll go inform Her Majesty." The girl said, sounding a bit saddened by this news. Sakura yawned and coughed dryly, her throat searing like fire.

"Ouch..."she croaked, rubbing her hand across her throat. Frowning, she watched the door in anticipation, waiting for it to swing open to some creepy, gaudy woman with a bad temper. A few minutes into her blank staring, the same card clad lady escorted a young woman through the door. Her eyes were vacant and she wore an equally blank expression on her face. Her dress, simple in design and splattered with various forms of hearts, hung loose on her body, which was frail and porcelain in appearance, her hair tied up in a simple bun, held together with a plain red ribbon.

"Your Majesty, the girl has awakened. What would you have done with her?" the girl asked carefully, as though speaking too loudly would shatter the poor woman.

"Let me see her." The woman's voice came through loud and strong, though lips never moved and expressions never changed, once. The Maid, Sakura presumed that was what she was, seemed to pick up the Queen a fraction of a bit, so it didn't even look like she was off the floor, and moved her over to the side of the bed, where a small chair sat. Placing the Queen in the chair, the maid turned her carefully so that she was facing Sakura and sighed, staring at her sadly.

"hello..."the disembodied voice sang. The voice was, indeed, melodic in all senses of the word.

"um...hi?" Sakura croaked, her voice still shaky. It sounded a though the Queen laughed and Sakuras eyes widened.

"You've been very sick, child. Those men slipped you Jabberwocky Venom and you've been going through some strange hallucinations and what. The Queen of The Mirror was keeping you as a pet of some sort. However, you've been asleep here for a near four days since we brought you here." The voice rang, explaining things as best it could.

"Oh. Um. Alright, I suppose, though I'm still confused I'm afraid." Sakura said sadly. The Queen laughed again.

"That's not surprising. I don't blame you in the least. How about we start from the very beginning, as that's a very good place to start indeed. What is your name, child?" the woman asked, her features still perfectly motionless.

"Sakura. Sakura Kinomoto, if you...well, I suppose you'd have to accept it. Nobody can really change my name, I suppose." she mumbled to herself. But the Queen sighed like what she had said was wrong.

"Child. Anyone can change your name. Its just a simple matter of weather you accept that name or not. Now then. I am The Queen of Hearts and that's all you need know about my name. Where do you hail from?" she asked.

"Um. Kyoto, Japan...ma'am." she stuttered awkwardly.

"I cant say I've heard of that. Is that near The Hole then, Kita?" She asked, directing the question to the maid, who replied with a curt nod.

"Ah...where am I, may I ask?" Sakura said rather meekly.

"We'll get to that, girl. Mind your temper." the Queens voice said firmly.

"Now then. Tell me. How is it that you wound up in Wonderland? People don't just find it by chance, you know." The Queen asked.

"Well, I was following someone who had been stalking-following me around-for the past couple of weeks. I got tired of him spying on me so I decided to chase him. He jumped down a hole and I followed." Sakura said, her voice losing the raspy soreness.

"Mmm. How unfortunate. Was this man rather tall, with a green hat and waistcoat...looked somewhat like a carrot??" the voice echoed quietly.

"um...I...I cant remember. Honestly. I can see him in my head...but I cant explain it for the life of me." Sakura gasped, a bit worried by this bout of amnesia.

"Takashi. He's The Mirror Queens personal assistant. And assassin...and spy. Well, you get the just of it. I'd heard rumors around the Kingdom. Some of the creatures are in hiding because of word that The Mirror Queen wanted a new pet. She had sent Takashi- though he goes by the alias Rabbitt when on a mission- out to find her one. You, dear, we're the unlucky victim. it's a good thing we got you out of there in time. Otherwise you would have wound up much like myself." The queen mused.

"Like you how?" Sakura asked, confused a bit. The Queen sighed;

" Not too long ago, The Mirror Queen summoned me for a conference. Rumors had been flying, saying that she was gearing for war and wanted to speak with me before drawing a conclusion. So naturally, I went. But I stayed too long. You see, the longer you stay in The Mirror Realm, the more of yourself you lose. The more humanity you lose. I was unfortunate in the fact that one; the Queen only wanted me as a pet...rather unusual of her, and two; she didn't want me, just my humanity. My soul. So she made sure that I overstayed my welcome and I lost all that I was. My son, Syaoran, had to come and get me once he noticed I had been gone far too long. He found me outside of the Mirror a little ways, propped up against a tree like a display doll." she said sadly. Her eyes appearing to grow a little darker than they were.

"So how is it that you are able to talk?" she asked awkwardly. The Queen laughed lightly.

"It really isn't funny, so I shouldn't be laughing. But you see, when you 'lose yourself', those parts of you are scattered across the Mirror realm in the form of something you cared deeply about when you were whole. In my case, its my son. He's all I have left sine my husband died. And, bless him, my son goes and makes trips regularly to The Mirror, trying to find his counterparts, people who look like him. Only in this case, they really aren't people. They're something like marionettes of a sort." she explained proudly.

"How does he not...'lose himself' then?" Sakura asked.

"We're not sure. Perhaps its that he already had once before. When he was younger, he ventured off to The Mirror and when he came back, he was wrapped up like a package, a not fixed to his forehead giving instructions on how to get him together again. For you, it would most likely be the same. You were quite the wreck when Syaoran found you. He said that you were missing something. It turns out that it was your soul. He found a piece of it in a jewelry box in the form of a feather of all things." The Queen explained. Sakura raised an eyebrow at this, but shrugged it off. She had come to learn that it was best to not try and make sense of things here.

"So the Queen wanted me as a...pet?" she asked. Kita, who had until now remained statue like, nodded and smiled at her carefully.

"Yes. She took your soul so you would have to way to complain. If you were just a hollow shell, you'd have been very impressionable and like putty in her chubby little grip." Kita said, allowing the Queen a moment of rest.

"So The Mirror Queen takes the souls..."Sakura mumbled.

"Yes. But it's a one time deal. She can only take your soul once. And its hers unless you manage to find it and return it to your person. Then she can no longer have any power over it. Unfortunately. She grew wise after a while. She learned that if she were to break up the soul into a lot of pieces, she would have control over you longer. Who knows how many the Queens or Your soul in broken up to." Kita sighed, running her fingers carefully through the Queens coarse hair.

"Kita's right, you know. Even though you may not realize it, you are missing a good bit of your soul. But since you can remember everything before you fell through The Hole, I am willing to bet you're not missing much." The Queen piped up. Sakura nodded.

"So I need to find feathers in order to put myself back together?" she asked. Kita nodded for the queen.

"Yes. But they wont be hard to spot, they stand out. There's a strange pink design on them. And you'll know when you find them all. Perhaps you should accompany Syaoran through The Mirror. You can find yours while he looks for mine. And the last few bits of his." The Queen suggested. Sakura nodded without a second thought.

"Alright. Then after I get my soul back, I can focus on getting home." she said, mostly to herself. Sakura had a bad habit of speaking to herself.

"Oh...but it wont be that easy, dear." The Queen sighed. Sakura looked up.

"What do you mean?" she asked, worry rushing through her again.

"Its taken Syaoran eleven years to find just five of his pieces. Its taken four to find merely two of mine." she said sullenly.

"I thought you said it would be easy!?" She exclaimed angrily.

"I never said it would be an easy task. I just said the objects would be easy to spot. Who knows how long it will take to find them."

* * *

**_Okay, so a bit of the Tsubasa Chronicles plot mingled in there. But its different in a way. Now you'll have to remember that this is Book 1 of Three. So its gonna take three books for Sakura to get home. But I promise it will be worth the wait. Anywho, what did you think? Good? Lame? A tad to cheesy for your taste? I seriously hope not. Oh, the Queen? Of Hearts? Bad chick, right? Not in my story. I decided to flip it around a smidge. And right now, shes like a doll, if you couldn't tell. Kita (Whos an OC, BTW) has to pick her up and move her around. The Queen wears long dresses to create the illusion that she merely has an escort. Though it doesn't do her much good, seeing as anyone would notice whats wrong with her as soon as they talk to her. But anyways. That's it for now. Chapter five up soon! Until Next time!  
Ja!  
Kirra_**


	5. V:Your Mission

V: Your Mission, whether you accept it or not... 

Syaoran frowned as he realized he was in his bedroom. It was the same dream, every night. The faces were blurred and the voiced garbled, but one thing he knew was clear. A girl was in trouble, and his memories were at stake. And somewhere in the recesses of the dream, that girl called his name...and it woke him up. Same time, same place...a whitewashed room with a simple cot. There was a mirror in the corner, and the image looking back at him wasn't. Well, it was, in a sense,. It was his face, but something was wrong. His hair was messy and gnarled and instead of clothes befitting a prince, he wore a simple white smock. His eyes were sunken and hollow looking. His complexion a grey marble color...it wasn't who he was supposed to be. And that ringing...a screaming and annoying sound. Ringing in his ears and bouncing around like it was the only thing in his head.  
He bolt upright in his bed, a cold sweat running down his forehead and making his silk pajamas cling to his back. Syaoran ran his hand across his clammy face and breathed heavily.

"Just a dream..." he whispered, reassuring himself. His room was the same;Regal decor, creme walls and a huge mirror overlooking the room. Across from the unusually large bed he was sitting in, was a French door, which he knew led to the bathroom, and diagonal that, the doors equal sat, creating an entrance to the hallway.

Running his fingers through his hair, Syaoran Li, Prince of Hearts of the glorious-well, to most- land of Wonderland, hopped out of his bed and shuffled across the carpeted floor to the bathroom, whereupon he began his morning habits. About five minutes in to his shower, Syaoran remembered that he had received an urgent message last night to meet with his mother as soon as he woke up. This gave way to the following: a quick shower, the drying of hair, and the putting on of a loose fitting white shirt, some black pants, and loose fitting boots. After that, he rushed down the stairs, took a wrong turn and wound up in the gardens, then ran back and found his way to his mothers Meeting Room.

Sliding into the large and very spacious room, Syaoran quietly closed the door and shuffled over to the center of the room, where a large oak table sat. At the table, Syaorans mother-who looked like she was stuck in suspended animation- sat suspiciously poised in a chair, her handmaid Kita at her side. Across from them sat a girl. No older than he was, if not younger. But not by much, mind you. She had short, reddish-blonde hair and strange green eyes. They were like the Emeralds he would find sometimes in the darkest parts of the Grotto just off the coast of Heron Beach. She looked up and smiled at him. But it wasn't happy, More like nervous...or lacking any emotion at all, more like. He carefully stepped behind his mother and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down and waiting for her to talk. Soon, The Queens voice echoed in the room:

"Good Morning, Syaoran." She said, sounding happy, but her face remaining motionless.

"Morning. What did you need me for?" He asked, sounding somewhat breathless, and looking back and forth from his mother to the girl.

"This is Sakura." She stated simply. Syaoran nodded,

"Okay. And why is she here? Not to be rude..." he added, turning to Sakura and nodding. She shrugged apathetically. Syaoran looked on at the girl for a few moments longer than he should have. But there was something about her that was different, he just couldn't place what. She looked foreign somehow, like she wasn't from Wonderland, neither so the Realm of Mirrors.

"Sakura is...well, I never know what to call the place. She's from the other side of The Hole." The Queen stumbled over the words, but managed to get the point across. Syaorans eyes grew wide.

"Really? How did you get down here??" He gasped, truly astonished by her presence now.

"The Rabbitt lured her here. The Mirror Queen was looking for a pet." The Queen of Hearts said dismally. Syaorans face grew somber and his once amused grin turned into a pitiful frown.

"Oh. I'm so sorry." he said, understanding his mothers words full well.

"Do you mind if I tell the tale, dear?" The queen asked, directing the question towards Sakura. She shook her head and shrugged.

"Go right ahead." she sighed. With her words, Syaorans stomach gave a little leap. She had a distinguished accent. To some it would sound like any other voice, but there was something completely different about it.

"Sakura was being followed by The Rabbitt for several days. She one day, decided to take initiative and follow him, hoping she could run him down and question him. But she fell into his trap and he led her down The Rabbitt Hole and left her to fend for herself, mostly. He had, however, set it to his standards to the point where she would go where he needed her to go. He had some from The Realm come over and lead her to The Hatters." The Queen said, pausing for a moment. Syaoran was fully focused on his mothers words, but could not seem to take his eyes of the girl. She didn't notice however, her eyes were fixed on the table as her head rested in her hands. "...Once she got to The Hatters-who, apparently, is from The Realm-he and The March Hare-who is just stupid and blindly follows anyone he thinks is good looking-invited her to their tea-party. The tea they gave her was laced with Jabberwocky Venom. It wasn't enough to kill her, but enough to make her ill. She began to feel faint, and then the drug took completely and she fainted." The Queen paused again. To Sakura, this all sounded like some scary bed time story. She hated the fact that it wasn't a story, but the truth. It took all she could muster not to tear up.

"Sakura woke up a good two weeks later inside one of The Mirror Queens cages. She was conscious, but completely incapacitated for another week or so. She couldn't move, see, speak, anything. The Mirror Queen did all of this just to have a new pet. She was tired of the 'exotic' animals her servants retrieved from Wonderland, so she sent The Rabbitt to find her something she had never owned before..."she sighed.

"So he sent her A HUMAN!? That man is Sick..." Syaoran interrupted.

"How did she get _here_ though?" Syaoran asked.

"Word had come from some Rumors that had escaped The Realm that The Mirror Queen had a new pet. I figured it was one of our animals again so I sent The Cheshire Cat to check it out. When he reported back that it was a girl, he took no time to do everything he could to get her out. Once he did, The Cat waited until nightfall to leave The Castle, then he brought her here. Kita gave her some medicine while she slept and when she woke up again, I had her come and meet me, and...well, here we are." The Queen finished. Sakura looked back and forth from The Queen to The Prince, who's expression was a mixture of disgust and pity.

"I am so sorry..." Syaoran said looking at her. She smiled and nodded in thanks.

"But what does her being a pet have to do with my being here?" Syaoran asked.

"When The Mirror Queen took her, she took her memories too. The Cheshire Cat found a piece of them in a jewelry box next to the cage, but shes still missing a lot. She has no recollection of anything before she came to Wonderland and is without compassion, reasoning, all of her emotions are gone...basically, she lost everything except for her ability to think logically, which is what The Cat found." The Queen explained. At this, Sakura spoke up.

"What do emotions and thought patterns have to do with memories?" she asked dully.

"Well, you have to learn to use them sometime in your life, don't you? Your Memories are EVERYTHING...without them, one would be a hollow shell." The Queen said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So, your mission whether you accept it or not is this;" she said, addressing them both;

"You two have been in The Realm before, and were able to come back, therefore, no matter how many times or how long you stay there, The Mirror Queen cant touch you. it's a known fact that any and all lost memories wind up in The Realm, that is of course, unless someone brings them back here by mistake There can be memories here but they will look different and it will be harder to find them. I need you two to travel to the Realm to find all of our memories. Continue what Syaoran has been doing, basically. But I cant afford to have you come back all the time. The more times you return through the Looking Glass, the more chance there is of something or someone following you in hopes of controlling this Realm. So the only time you can return to Wonderland is if a trail leads you here, or you have information that is much too important for me to not know. I will give you anything you need for protection, and anything you need to survive. I will also send The Cheshire Cat with you, to help you find them." The Queen explained carefully.

"So...we wont be back here for a while." Syaoran said, sounding somewhat saddened by this fact.

"No. But this is important, dear. You know it is. So I need you to be strong." she said compassionately. Syaoran nodded and turned to face Sakura.

"Well. Looks like you'll be seeing a lot more of Wonderland and The Realm. I hope your ready. This is gonna' get dangerous." he sighed, standing up and offering his hand to her. She took it and hoisted herself up.

"Go get ready, then. Kita and I will meet you in the Foyer in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Syaoran looked back once more. The Castle was nothing but a blur between the trees now. He caught up with Sakura and they continued their trek to the rendezvous point with The Cheshire Cat. Sakura knew the meeting point, it was where they first met. But she couldn't remember where it was in relativity to the castle. She stumbled ahead of Syaoran, tripping over roots that her here, seemed to be strategically placed there to trip her up, and began to push through a somehow familiar overgrowth. Emerging from the other side, she waited for Syaoran to push through and then began to look around. Her eyes fell on a small bush a few feet away from her that boasted a number of small neon blue berries. 

_Never trust neon berries..._ she thought, staring at them carefully. She frowned and looked to her right, hoping there was another clue. It was then she saw the picket fence. And the tea table. Her eyes filled with tears quickly, but she swiftly brushed them away.

"Its this way." she choked, looking quickly away from the garden and running the opposite way.

Pushing through a couple of overgrown bushes, she stumbled blindly into the now familiar clearing. Looking around, she saw a few direction signs shaped like arrows nailed to the tree in front of her:  
_--This Way-- _

_--That Way--_

_--Castle...__Straight Ahead--_

_--Mirror Realm...three miles That Way.--  
Please refrain from stepping on the Mome Raths. Thank you.  
-Management._

A familiar branch stuck out oddly from the tree and Sakura half expected for the Cheshire Cat to be sitting there eating a scone or something. She remembered that when she had met him, she had been sitting in the middle of the clearing. Shuffling over to the center, she flopped down and crossed her legs, waiting.

"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked, sitting down in front of her.

"When I met The Cheshire Cat-does he have a name, by the way?- Anywho, when I met him, I was sitting right here and he tried to sneak up on me. I figured if we waited here, he'd show up." She said blatantly.

"Oh." Syaoran nodded, like it was obvious.  
"Man..." he sighed, " I miss having the ability to reason. At least, I think I do...I cant remember." he said, more confused than he should have been. Sakura shrugged and began to hum. The melody was soft and barely audible, but it got Syaorans attention all the same.

"What are you humming? It sounds familiar..." he asked curiously. Sakura looked up from the squiggles she was drawing in the dirt.

"Hmm? Oh...I don't really know. I think I heard it when The Mirror Queen had me. I didn't even realize I was humming it." she said, laughing lightly. But soon thereafter, she frowned and stopped, like she had forgotten that it was funny or something, and began aimlessly drawing in the dirt again until she heard footsteps. Looking up and around, she saw that coming from That Way were the same footsteps that nobody accompanied. She blinked in response and stood up. Syaoran stood and watched with a monotone expression as the prints met them a few feet in front of the center and the body began to drip into focus, same as when Sakura first met him. After a few moments, the man sighed and smiled at Sakura.

"Well, its good to see you on your feet, ma'am. And Your Highness, we haven't had the pleasure of meeting I'm afraid." he said, bowing low to Syaoran, who nodded apathetically and waited for him to rise again. The Cheshire Cat turned to Sakura and smiled.

"I DO have a name, by the way. Its Clow. Clow Reed. The Cheshire Cat is my title. I'm what your world would call a 'Jack of all Trades'." he said with a sly grin. The man stepped back a bit and began pacing. "I understand we'll be working together to find some memories. The Queens, His Highness, and yours, am I correct?" he asked, placing his hands behind his back. Syaoran nodded.

"Yes. We're to go to The Mirror Realm and remain there until all memories are found or if we have Information of utter importance. I see you haven't brought anything. don't you need traveling things?" He asked. Sakura noted that while he was talking, his voice never changed. It was very somber and hollow. She felt depressed by it, or at least she would have were she complete. But she recognized that it was a sad thing. Any response to that emotion, however, was lost on her. It was on Syaoran apparently too. Clow shook his head.

"No. Not now anyways. I have a...home...if you will, in The Realm, whereupon I can get things should I need them. I'll be fine otherwise. Shall we go? I grow tired of pacing around this clearing." he sighed, glancing at Sakura for a moment, who had realize that never once had he stepped into the center of the clearing. She wondered why that was, but didn't have the mind to ask. Instead she just nodded and turned her attention to the crude map on the tree in front of her.

"Mirror Realm...three miles That Way." she read. "So I guess were going this way?" she asked, turning to Clow and Syaoran.

"No..."Clow said. "Were not going This Way...were going That Way. Cant you interpret signs, little one?" he asked, beginning to walk down the path that the That Way sign indicated. Sakura shrugged and began to follow before stopping and turning to face Syaoran, who was once again staring out towards the castle. Walking up to him, she touched him on the shoulder and nodded her head towards the path.

"You'll see it again some day. Now come on, or we'll lose Clow." Sakura began to run down the path and Syaoran nodded, grateful that one of the memories he had obtained was compassion. He'd be lost without that.

* * *

_**Mmkay, that's chapter five! Wow. I didn't even realize I was that far in. But oh well, this ones going to be slightly longer than my others and, as we know, spanning three books, so im not really worried about content length. Anywho, what did you think? Good? Bad? Too Fillerish for your tastes? Well, that's too bad. I've come to realize that every story consists of four things; Beginning, Middle; which is basically a lot of filler chapters with a light peppering of interesting tid-bits, The Climax, and The End...in this case, it's "The End for Now" because theres gonna be more. But anyways, im done ranting. Drop a review and tell me what to think! I love to hear them... Until next time!  
Ja!  
Kirra**_


	6. VI: Through the Looking Glass

**Hoollyy hell. I've been away for a while. You see, I've got an excuse...and no I wasn't sick again, thank god. However, my computer WAS sick. My brother broked it. Our networking card melted...literally. It was BIZZARE. And also, I've been busy with a British Literature report, on SURPRISE!! Lewis Carroll and his stories...so yea. Anyways, I'm back now, so we should be able to get the ball rolling again.**

**(Disclaimer: Don't own Through the Looking Glass...that's Lewis Carroll's. There.)**

VI: Through the Looking Glass

"You'll see it again some day. Now come on, or we'll lose Clow." Sakura began to run down the path and Syaoran nodded, grateful that one of the memories he had obtained was compassion. He'd be lost without that.

* * *

There was a fine layer of smog covering everything, making the city look dull and grey. A city which was out of place and obscure...a city that shouldn't have been there.  
"Remember, everything is opposite in this world, Sakura, what is forest in our world will most likely be a city here." Clow whispered before handing her a small black cloth. She looked down at it nervously and stifled a cough.  
"Your world, remember? I'm not from around here. Why does this cloth smell so bad?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. Clow shrugged and smiled at her warmly.  
"Might have been something in my pocket. Put it over your mouth and nose though...the smog can make you sick unless you've lived with it for a while." He explained, motioning to pull her hand up to her mouth.  
Sakura stopped short of her mouth and eyed the cloth blankly, like she knew something was wrong with it, but didn't know what exactly.  
"Sakura, do you want to get sick? Put the damn cloth to you mouth!" Clow barked. Sakura's eyes grew wide and she took a step back.  
"You never yell...ever. This much I know. And what happened to your glasses? Aren't you practically blind without them??" she questioned, not really sure why. Clow hesitated for a moment before smiling coldly and folding his hands.  
"The smog fogs the lenses up. Now will you please listen to me. I don't want to see you Ill again." he cooed, taking her hand again and slowly pushing it up to her lips. She complied at last and immediately began to feel queasy. Clow smiled weakly as his face distorted into a grimace as he raised a gloved hand above his head. Sakura watched complacently as the fist descended toward her head and weaker still as she watched the imposter fall to the ground as the real Clow and Syaoran stood behind him, Clow pointing a rather large handgun where the mans head was moments prior.  
"Dammit, I hate this place. Sakura, are you okay?" Syaoran asked, a bit more apathetically than the preferred sympathetically implied notion. She shrugged and nodded blankly.  
"I guess...what happened?" She questioned, just for the sake of it.  
"Imposters. Remember, we told you that everything here is opposite. What's forest in Wonderland may be a city in The Mirror Realm. The same goes for people...especially in The Mirror Queens case, where she is trying to get to you. You must be always on your guard, even though we'll always be around." Syaoran said, taking her arm and pulling her behind him as they headed to a large group of buildings. Clow pushed around Syaoran and Sakura as he lead them around the back of the buildings and down a large flight of stairs. The large door that hosted a thick layer of black grease creaked open and led into a bar they may have been the source for the city's smoke problem. Sakura coughed briefly and squinted to see past the thick layer of smoke that occupied the room and the lungs of the patrons having their five o clock.  
"Stay here. Don't take a step out of where you are right now. I'll be back in a minute" Clow whispered as he disappeared into the smog.  
"What are we doing??" Sakura whispered, even though talking would have been sufficient as nothing was audible over the blaring music. Syaoran shrugged and made his grip on Sakuras arm tighter.  
"I don't know. But apparently Clow does. I think its best we just do what he says. He's been doing this for a lot longer than you think." he said into her ear. It felt like her stomach dropped for a minute, but she passed it off as hunger pangs and dropped any other thought on it. A few minutes later, Clow returned with a stern look on his face.  
"Come with me. Don't talk, don't make any wrong moves. Syaoran, keep your eyes on Sakura at all times or else. Lets go" he barked, turning to face the smoke again and began to lead the two through it. It became clear in a few seconds that there was no bar. There was no music, no people, just a few overturned tables and a silence so penetrating that nobody could hear anything but the hollow roar of absolute nothing. As the smoke cleared around them, the two realized that they weren't in a room at all, but a large wasteland with trash thrown promiscuously here and there, the ever present stench of something rotting permeating their senses. The sky was a sickly green color and it never met the horizon...it just kept going until your eyes could no longer reach. Large birds circled in the distance and it felt as if someone or something was always watching you, no matter where you ran. A laugh, both mirthful and sinister at the same time echoed from somewhere and rang through the atmosphere until everyone was on the end of their nerves and Clow was moving so fast that even carrying Sakura on his back, Syaoran couldn't keep up with him. The laughter sounded again, but louder...somehow closer, and that's when Sakura noticed Clow was bleeding. She gasped his name, her hand immediately flying to her mouth after realizing what she had done. From behind the masses of rubbish and smoking potholes rose an immeasurable amount of black creatures. Gleaming white teeth, sharp and dripping with venom snapped, the mouth they penetrated from laughed sinisterly. Glowing eyes were sunk deep inside hollow sockets and the blobs took human shape, sauntering closer until they had the small group surrounded and ceased movement once they knew the three had nowhere to run. The penetrating silence resumed thereafter as the creatures began circling the three, herding them it would seem. After successfully rounding them into a tight circle, a small murmur of laughter began echoing through the dense air, making it impossible to tell whether the source was close by or far off in the immeasurable distance. Clow sighed and stepped from the other two swiftly, joining ranks with the black creatures surrounding them.  
"What are you doing, Clow?" Syaoran growled, confused and in a good amount of pain. Clow shrugged and presented a smoldering smile, throwing Syaoran off guard for just a moment before regaining his composure.  
"Just showing you where your trust led you, my dear boy. Maybe if you were complete, you would have been able to determine that I have been lying to you and your precious kingdom for quite some time now. An imbecile would have been able to figure it out, and here you sat, docile and obedient, just waiting to jump at any command I threw at you. I could have very well told you to run head first into the Jabberwocky's Den and you wouldn't have given it a second thought!! Then..." he sighed, beginning to circle them slowly, "Then along came Little Miss Clueless, and you just couldn't help but play Hero Boy. She made it ever so easy to throw all caution to the wind and commence with the Mirror Queens plans." He said, laying a gloved hand across Sakuras shoulder. She winced at the touch and immediately doubled over, breaking into a cold sweat. Clow smiled and squeezed her shoulder harder, forcing the girl to the ground, sending her writhing in pain.  
"Adorable isn't it? She can feel every emotion, but cant label it, therefore she cannot express it. Rare case that is, which is why my Queen wants her so badly...and I would do anything to make my Queen happy. But you understand that, don't you Syaoran?" he cooed, stepping away from her flailing to make something of a spectator sport out of it. The black creatures made small humming noises, as if they were appreciating a work of art, as they begin to move in closer. Sakuras writhing soon subsided, leaving her panting, clawing at the hard ground as if she were trying to pull herself back from something. She gasped and threw herself flat onto her back, her eyes open wide, staring out at the grey clouded sky as she pulled herself up and stumbled to her feet, gripping the rocky cliff wall behind her and scowling at Clow and his army of...whatevers, that surrounded the two. And with nothing more than a thought in her head that she wanted these creatures to experience the same thing she had just endured, they began to glow a luminescent white light, so bright that for a moment, one brief, faltering moment, the clouds above broke and the never-changing blue sky could be seen. That moment passed though, and the aftermath of the eruption left the creatures on the ground, lifeless and limp, a small feather hovering above the largest of the pack. The design on it was of a blood red color, the markings sinister looking and messy. Clow, returning from his stares of amazement, grinned wickedly and bowed low to the ground with a swooping motion of his arm.  
"Priestess..." he whispered so quietly it was near inaudible. "Congratulations are in order...you've found Anger." he said, returning to his upright position, the cocky grin still planted on his lips. "Anger is a powerful emotion...very powerful indeed. With anger comes hatred, denial, malice,envy, contempt, pessimism, doubt...and one of my personal favorites, Jealousy...among many others that make the emotion worth while. Enjoy it Priestess, and may it serve you well. Until we meet again." He said, bowing once more before clapping in a demanding tone as an iron cage sprung up from beneath their feet and a putrescent mist seeped from its bars. The world went dark.

* * *

Sakuras eyes fluttered open to find that she was once again trapped in the Mirror Queens cage. She was however, in a room unlike the previous, and she wasn't the only occupant. Syaoran slouched against the cage bars, eyes closed, head bowed. It appeared he was asleep before his head snapped up and a small smile escaped his lips, a misplaced gesture that contrasted the dark corners of the room they were in.  
"Good, your alright..." he whispered. Sakura nodded and pushed herself up from the ground, stretching until her fingertips brushed the cold steel of the cage bars. In the corner of the room sat Clow, smiling up at them, ever smiling with that wicked, malicious grin that would strike fear into any sane persons heart. He stood up and kicked off the ground until he was floating next to the cage, a small white object clutched in his fist.  
"Hello Sakura...glad to see you're awake, I can give you your present now." He said excitedly.  
"What present?" she questioned, eyeing Clow with the same glower she harbored for the black creatures in the wasteland before they too began to feel pain. Clow took a step back into the shadows, as means of protection, and held his hand out to her, palm open, a feather waiting for her to take. The pattern, wispy and elegant in a way, was a light blue color and the light it emitted was weak, dim.  
"This is my favorite emotion. I just know it will turn the upcoming events in an interesting direction. Do you want to know what it is, my pet?" he asked nonchalantly. The feather drifted slowly to Sakura and nestled itself into her hand, where it quickly dissolved, causing her palm to glow faintly before fading away. She nodded timidly and stepped back a moment before shaking her head with a hasty decision.  
"No...I know what it is." she whispered, her voice cracking momentarily. "Fear." Clow beamed at this and clapped lightly, pleased with her realization.  
"Very good, pet. Yes, its Fear. Fear and everything that holds to it. But I'll let you figure those things out for yourself. Until we meet again, poppet." he said, bowing gracefully before disappearing bit by bit, like he did in the forest when they first met. Sakura, not surprised in the least by this act, sat back down and waited for the cage to stop swaying.

The cage itself was fashioned after a bird cage, pointed at the top as it got wider near the bottom, the entire structure, rather than sitting on the floor peacefully, hung from the rafters on the ceiling precariously, threatening to crash to the ground, a good twenty foot drop, should someone make a false movement. Sakura soon realized this as her swift arm movements sent the cage swinging angrily, creaking as the rusted metal hinges on the rafters bent under the sudden shift in weight. She sighed and leaned her head against the bar, looking out at the black wall Clow sat at moments prior, a small stitch of blue light glowing at the bottom where the door stood. A small window, shrouded by a thick curtain, tattered and old, brought a small amount of light into the room, enough to see that there was no logical way to remove themselves from their current situation. The two sat in silence for hours, their breathing labored as it seemed whatever gas they were subjected to, did a number on their lungs.

Hours passed since Sakura woke when she noticed a change in the dull scenery. A small cat, black for the most part, with vibrant orange paws and orange tipped tail, slinked along the rafters, its steps measures and careful, until it managed to wriggle its way inside the cage. It wasn't until the cat was safely on the floor of the cage that it dared show what, or who, it really was. With a quick shiver, much like a cat would shake water off its back, the animal shed all its fur, and in its place stood a boy, who had to be no older than Sakura and Syaoran. His clothes describing where the unusual color of the cat came from, and his eyes, a strange purple that seemed to glow in the darkness.  
"Priestess...Sir..." he said, bowing to each individually. Sakura stood slowly and eyed the man curiously.  
"And who the hell are you?" Syaoran asked, moving to stand next to Sakura.  
"Ah...forgive me. I am Eriol...I work with the Resistance. Your mother, The Queen, she warned me that you two may fall subject to danger, she said I need to help you at all costs. So here I stand, risking death...in order to save you from it." he said, his voice quivering a bit at the mention of death.  
"Why does everyone keep calling me Priestess?" she asked, expecting something other from the boy than the light guffaw he let escape.  
"You will understand in time, Prie-never mind. But you will understand, this I promise. Now come. Take hold of my hand, both of you, and I will transport us out of here." he said, reaching for Sakuras hand.  
"Why didn't you just transport in here?" Syaoran asked, taking his other hand with somewhat of an annoyed expression. Eriol shrugged.  
"I didn't know where I was going. I can only transport to places I've been, places I can easily see in my head. I can get us out of here because I know the destination, where I want to go. I had no idea you two were in here, I had to wander a bit before I found you." he explained. Syaoran nodded and took Sakuras hand in his free one and stared at th e strange boy.  
"Well? Are we going?" he motioned, sounding a bit impatient.  
"Ah! Right, okay then, we're off!" He declared, throwing his head back as a loud whirring replaced the silence and they were torn from the cage with a fierce swiftness.

* * *

**Okay! That's chapter six. Again, I apologize for taking so long to update. Ive been so incredibly busy these last few months. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it and please give me your feedback, I love to hear all the comments and what have you. I promise I'll make a severe attempt to update with more haste next time! Until then!  
Ja!  
Kirra**


	7. VII: All the Queens horses

Chapter VII: All the Queens horses

"Ah! Right, okay then, we're off!" He declared, throwing his head back as a loud whirring replaced the silence and they were torn from the cage with a fierce swiftness.

* * *

There was a musty, stale odor coming from the darkness that was quickly disturbed by a small shuffling sound and the sudden illumination given by a match. Stalagmites and stalactites littered the small passageway and tiny creatures scurried away as the light reached their eyes, retreating to familiar dark corners, shying away from any potential harm. Sakura felt like the small creatures in that sense, anything unfamiliar caused her to shy away unexpectedly, not understanding why she did, only knowing she couldn't help it. Eriol, fronting the group with nothing but a book of matches and a small bit of knowledge as to where they were going, led them deeper into the tunnel until they could just make out a faint glow at the end. Sakuras stomach lurched at the sight, but quickly fell as Eriol led them down an even smaller tunnel nestled into the side of a wall. Syaoran sighed impatiently and, in making a severe attempt to keep up with the boy in front of the two, stumbled over a large object and fell flat on his face. He sat up moments later, covered in a brownish sludge.  
"What the HELL are we walking in anyway?? And just where are you taking us?!" He barked, using the rough wall beside him to pull himself up. Eriol laughed softly before pulling a rag from his pocket and handing it to Syaoran.  
"Were in the city's sewer system, I promise it's not much farther." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The City's SEWER SYSTEM??" he cried, looking down at the three inches of sludge they had been trudging through for the past hour. "Then this is...Oh my...THAT'S DISGUSTING!!" Eriol laughed again, ignoring Syaorans shouts of protest and turning his attention to Sakura.  
"How are you doing, priestess?" he called over his shoulder. Sakura shrugged off the priestess bit and responded with a muffled response, her arm had been covering her nose and mouth since she first encountered the foul smell. Another light, brighter than the last and shining a white-blue beckoned to them from the end of the passage. Eriol smiled and tucked his matchbook into a hidden coat pocket as he pushed a tattered curtain aside, letting the light flood the entire tunnel, leading the two through to a large cavern.

The ceiling to the cavern seemed impossibly high, the brownish walls lined with large pieces of wood, forming stairs in every direction, all of them leading to deep pock marks, some covered with fabrics or colored assorted wood, and some uncovered, an ugly black mark on the equally unsightly brown and red mess of color spread on the walls. The small river of waste split the cavern in half, disappearing into the farthest wall from the entrance. The thick smell from the tunnel dissipated slightly as the area opened up, but it seemed like it was always there. Eriol sighed loudly, breaking the awkward silence and turned to face the two.  
"Well, its not perfect, but its home. Well...the word 'home' is used lightly, obviously. Its not so much a home than it is a safe place for all of us. Anyhow...come, I'll give you the grand tour." He said remissibly.  
He began to walk farther into the cavern, stepping carefully as to not fall into one of the many steaming holes littering the ground.  
"We're more or less inside the western mountains right now. They're kind of unusual because they basically defy every principle of logic. These mountains exist both here and in Wonderland as the same mountains. Like being in two places at once. It's kind of a free-zone. Even if one of the Mirror Queens' lackeys were to find us here, they couldn't do anything because it would be treason in Wonderland and they would get punished. In any case, finding this places is just shy of impossible. You would have to find a way to get into the sewers first, and then you could still wander around for days and never find it. So we're safe here." Eriol explained as he led the two further in. Sakura noticed however, that as they got farther from the mouth of the cave, the smell disappeared and the river was crystal clear. As they went farther, the mouth disappeared completely. She gasped at this, drawing the others attention.  
"Oh..." Eriol chuckled. "Yea. Um, see the thing is, we've got a variety of spells on the place. Just standing by the mouth, it looks gross, and the smell matches. Its just a cover for what we really have here. We'e redirected the sewer flow to go around the cavern, and we've purified the water inside. The entrance is still there though, it's just cloaked...as a precaution should someone unwelcome find us. Don't worry, were not the bad guys." He added, noticing Sakuras speculative glare. "Who exactly is 'we'? As far as I can tell, you're the only one here..." Syaoran asked accusingly. Eriol threw his hands up in a defensive manner.  
"They're here. This place is bigger than it looks. There's about forty of us collectively, ranging everywhere from blacksmiths to shamans, warriors to witches. But we're all here for the same reason..." he said, his sentence trailing off. "Come. Let me show you where you two will be staying." He said, turning to the right and beginning up a crude set of stairs.  
"Wait, what do you mean 'where you two will be staying'? You mean to keep us here?" Syaoran asked briskly. Eriol turned to face them, sporting a confused expression.  
"What do you...aren't you finding a way to...aren't you here because of the Queen?" he stammered, descending the stairs. "We're here because we're looking for Sakuras memories. That damn Mirror Queen took them and scattered them everywhere. Just what kind of operation are you running here?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Eriol sighed, as if relieved and nodded.  
"I suppose an explanation is in order. But know that we are all here for the same reason as you...more or less. Come...this way." He directed, leading the two to one of the many holes in the walls. Inside was a small table made from various woods and a bit of dirt and clay coming out of the wall, assumingly meant to be a bench. Eriol took an oil lamp from the wall and whispered to it quickly, pulling back and the liquid ignited, a soft orange glow illuminating the room.  
"I suppose I should start from the beginning. The very beginning, when none of us were even thoughts in our parents minds." he started as several people appeared from various holes to gather around to hear a story. Eriol smiled. "I told you there were more of us. Anyways. Where was I? Oh yes, I remember. Lets start it off like every good story should start: Once Upon a Time...

_Once upon a time, before realms and wars, there was a kingdom; strong and noble. The King, a favorite among everyone, took for his wife a young priestess with a gentle heart. The young priestess had two sisters, one a mousey little thing with great healing powers and the other, the middle child and most beautiful of the three, and also the most corrupt, had great powers of unspeakable strength. The middle sister grew jealous as her two sisters grew into fame and wealth; one becoming the young queen, the other a powerful healer that traveled the land, helping anyone that asked for no profit to herself. This outraged the sister, and so she retreated to seclusion for several years, disappearing completely, without telling even her family of her departure. However, with everything that was happening in her sisters lives, they had no time to worry about their sister. Besides, their sister was never one for family, or friends. She preferred seclusion more than anything...the sisters knew wherever she was, she was at least safe. They didn't know, however, that with all those years in seclusion, she would be plotting against them, waiting until she knew she was at her best to strike.  
__  
It took the middle sister ten long years alone to come up with the perfect plan to rid the lands of her do-good sisters. She had been staying in an old abandoned castle at the time, and from the tallest tower she could see her sisters castle perfectly. Her youngest sister settled down in a small hamlet just south of the Queens castle to become the regions shaman. It was that hamlet where she would strike first.  
__  
On a clear night, moonless with the luminosity of merely the millions of stars in the sky, the girl descended from her castle tower and made her journey to the small hamlet. It took her three weeks and when she finally got there, the sister conjured up a spell to make herself the exact image of her shaman sister. Late at night, as her youngest sister- now graying with small creases around her eyes- slept peacefully, she crept through the hamlet to her hut at the other end. Once inside, she stole her sisters clothes, replaced her own with them, then swiftly thrust a silver dagger into her sleeping sisters heart. With her sister dead, she created yet another potion, a mixture containing her own blood and her sisters to create an everlasting image of her sister on herself. To keep the false notion going, she dragged the lifeless body out into the dirt road and screamed loudly, waking everyone, dragging them out of their huts to see what the commotion was about. When the villagers saw the shaman, knife in hand, standing over the bloodied body that looked exactly like her, there began an uproar. The sister pocketed the silver dagger and explained that a witch impersonated her and tried to kill her. She did what was necessary to defend herself and was sorry that it had to end in the witches death. The villagers, proud of their elderly shaman for defending herself and her people, celebrated with a feast and gifts to their shaman, who stated that in order to keep the village protected, she would now require a small fee from each of her patients, all money going towards the protection of their hamlet. The villagers were more than happy to oblige.  
__  
The sister impersonated her dead sister for another ten years, each year her price for healing growing higher. In those ten long years, she re-established a close friendship with her royal sister, now very old with a daughter making preparations to become the next Queen. The King had long since passed away and with her daughter by her side, she kept the Kingdom ever at peace, happy to be in touch with her little sister, never concerned about her other sister... The middle sister also established a friendship with the princess, a bright young girl with a wonderful future ahead of her. The Princess grew very fond of her aunt and as her aunt and mother grew elderly, she insisted her aunt leave the hamlet, allow her shaman in training to take over, and come live at the castle. Her aunt was only too happy to accept the offer. She retired her position to the young woman training under her in the hamlet and took her fortune and few belongings to the castle where she quickly made herself comfortably at home. However, a few weeks after her arrival at the castle, The Queen fell ill mysteriously. Her sister, who was supposedly perturbed by her illness could not save her, and the following day, The Queen died. Her last words to her daughter were a mystery. As she lay dying, her hand clutching her crying daughters small hand and her daughters betrothed at her side, she whispered  
' protect the priestess...protect the kingdom...false throne...hearts..."her grip loosened and she fell silent, never to speak again._

The day of the Queens burial, The Princess and her new husband fled the kingdom, knowing that trouble would soon come around from her mothers dying words. However, before their departure, they sought out a powerful shaman, more than her senile old aunt, and with the volunteering of a very young noble couple at court, created replicas of the new King and Queen to fool the kingdom into thinking they were still around. The couple were well informed of what they were to do and why, and they were to take the secret to their grave. As far as their subjects were concerned, the noble couple were the young rulers. The people were not to know otherwise. Thus, the real royalty fled, the Queen by then carrying her first child.

Back at the Kingdom, the replacement King and Queen settled into their new life, the false Queen too carrying a child. The aging sister grew jealous yet again, at the young couples happiness and youth. She was not ready to die, nor did she have any intention to. The witch wasn't senile at all, she was merely putting a show on to distract the family away from the fact that she was creating another spell; this one to make her young and beautiful forever. So in spirit with everything that old people must do, the shaman and witch staged her own death, her dying wish was to have a simple burial in the hamlet she grew to love so dearly. Once the funeral had ended, the attendees being the villagers and the King and Queen, the woman dug herself out in the dead of night and stole away back to her abandoned castle, where she cast the youth spell on herself. The spell came at a cost however. It would keep her young as long as she had a young host to support her. So every year or so, when the witch felt the spell fading, she would summon a priestess to her castle, and she would take her youth, leaving the young priestess as old as the witch really was. And that always left the priestess dead. The witch would take from the bodies what she needed, then she would carelessly discard them somewhere along their path to the castle, assumingly killed by a Bandersnatch or worse, a Jabberwocky. Nobody ever suspected anything, as it was very common for a person traveling alone to never return.

A few years slipped by and the Witch grew to great power, for with every priestess she used, she gained their powers. With those powers, she broadened her options and soon found a way to live a thousand years before obtaining another host. But soon after she obtained her host to last a thousand years, she discovered her sisters lies. That the power in the throne right now was not her sister and her husband, the little boy that clung to his fathers ankles was not a prince, but a mere noble, as was the rest of his family. The real royalty was long since in hiding, their princess sent away to lands unknown to even the Witch herself. Angered by these lies and deception, the Witch sought out once more to sabotage the kingdom. At the castle, she murdered the King and collected the Queen and the Princes memories in a box, giving them the shape of the thing most precious to them. But with no memories, they would never know what they were looking for, so the kingdom would fall to ruin. The Witch scattered the memories far and wide, leaving them to wait for their owners, which would never come. She then sought out her sister. The witch found the couple living comfortably in a small cottage with a white picket fence, just inside of the Tulgey Wood. The cottage stood on a large hill upon which one could view the entire wood. And just to the east of their house stood an ancient, very tall tree, hollowed out and disguised by shrubs. She knew from one glance that whatever was inside that tree would lead to the newborn princess who would soon become notably the most powerful sorceress and priestess her world had ever seen. Without a second thought, she murdered her sister and her husband, now elderly and simple, and quickly made to the tree, where she found the portal to another world. The Witch herself could not leave her world, for if she did, her magic would fail and she would die. So she retreated to her castle and waited. In her time waiting, she created the Mirror World, an exact replica of Wonderland, with the exception of its ruler and customs, and welcomed those who defied Wonderlands kingdom, giving them shelter, protection, and a new kingdom and Queen to attend. She assembled an army and gained a devoted following, and when the time came, the Witch, by then known as The Mirror Queen, sent out her best tracker to lure the princess back to her kingdom and into her own grasp..."

"But things went wrong when you arrived, Sakura. By that time, the Queen, now in a paralyzed state, had been long since informed of what had happened to her and her son, that's you, Syaoran... and when you made it to their-your castle, actually, Syaoran had already found most of his mothers memories and most of his own. Unfortunately, The Mirror Queen had already done some damage by taking your memories as well. What she didn't know at the time, however, and probably still doesn't know, is that without your memories, you are incomplete...and an incomplete sorceress is as good as any normal person. She can get no use out of you." Eriol finished. By this time, it seemed like all forty or so people had gathered to listen to the story. Every one of them carried expressions of awe on their faces.  
"So...we need to get rid of the Queen before we find the rest of Sakuras memories, otherwise...she'll kill her?" Syaoran asked, looking at Sakura, who was staring at the floor, most likely wrapping her mind around who she really was. Eriol nodded.  
"This is why I said we were all here for the same thing. You understand now." Eriol said quietly, his attention was now on Sakura as well. There was a pregnant pause before Sakura squeaked and cleared her throat.  
"So...how do we kill the Witch? Its not like we can just go there and smack her around a bit." Sakura sighed, putting her head between her knees. Eriol smiled.  
"Excellent question...the answer to which, we don't know. Yet, that is, but we have been searching. We have spies in her castle as we speak, always on the lookout for something that may let slip among the many residents in her Castle. Unfortunately, she had her own share of spies...as you already know, Clow was not the most honest person in Wonderland. In any case, as you know, the Mirror realm created not to long ago, but you can see just by looking around the kind of damage its creation has brought. But still there is more." he said, turning to face Syaoran. "Just gathering all of your mothers memories will not be enough to save her. Only with the death of the witch can she be restored fully to her normal self. Unfortunately, your mother, Sakura, and yourself are the only things that really can be restored. Everyone the Witch has killed cannot be brought back...there is a reason they say death is final and absolute. Though I am positive that if we find the source of all her magic, we'll be able to bring her down." He explained quickly. Someone in the back of the small crowd piped up, her small voice barely a whisper.  
"But, you said her power came from the priestesses she collected. We cant find them, they're dead." the girl stated point blank. Eriol smiled at the top of her small head and nodded.  
"True, that's how she stays young and powerful, but its not the source of her magic in whole. There's got to be an object or something that enables her to do all the things she does. She was the skipped generation in the priestess gene, so she never had magic in her genetic makeup. The Witches family never put into consideration that she shouldn't have magic though, so they never looked into it. The girls mother was the high priestess of the land at that time, so they figured the genes passed to every generation. So the way I see it, once we find this thing she gets her power from and we destroy it, one of two things will happen; one: All of her spells will break, and she will die automatically, simply from old age, or two: she will have enough strength to keep alive, but not enough to defend herself, and we can finish her off easily." Eriol said, wringing his hands as if he were afraid of the companies reaction. A wave of murmurs fell over the audience and Sakura broke her gaze from the wall.  
"but how do we know what it is? Its not like...never mind. How will we be able to determine it's the right thing?" she asked, straightening out her posture and brushing a bit of dirt off of her arm. Eriol shrugged.  
"I'm not sure, but usually the only things that can harness magic for a witch is something that is precious to them, that they couldn't live without or something. Which is one of the reasons we have spies at the castle, to find out what the object is. Once we find it, we can set our plans in motion." He concluded. Sakura and Syaoran nodded in unison, Syaoran opening his mouth to speak.  
"What about us? Where do we come into all of this? And how does Sakura fit into everything? I think you have a lot more explaining to do." he said, picking up a small rock and tossing it from hand to hand absentmindedly. Eriol nodded, a perturbed expression on his face.  
"So it would seem. But if its all the same, its late...I think, and we haven't had anything to eat in a while. How about some food and we can work out where you two will sleep? Then I will tell you everything else...to the best of my ability that is." Eriol offered, standing up to shuffle out of the sitting area. Syaoran sighed in something of a protest, but it was Sakuras stomach that answered the proposal. He laughed and stood up, stretching until his joints popped a bit.  
"Come on." he said, offering his hand to Sakura. She took it without a thought and the two fell in step with the rest of the group.

* * *

**_Iight, that was chapter 7! Hope you liked it. Sorry it took so long to post up, today was our last day of school, so you can imagine what that last week was like┘in any case, Summer is fast approaching, so I should have some more time to write and such. Leave something for me to read, I love getting reviews and whatnot!  
_****_ Till next time!  
Ja!  
Kirra_**


	8. VIII:Complications

Chapter VIII: Complications

Eriol led the two of them on another tour after everyone had eaten their meals and dispersed for the night. He led them to the southern wall of the cavern and up a very unstable looking rope ladder before escorting them to another large dome dug into the wall. Inside the dome were two shabby looking mattresses separated by a curtain made from several pieces for fabric sewn together. Two large Victorian looking sconces sat parallel and opposite each other on either side of the curtain, small white candles casting dark shadows on the crevasses of the brown walls, which in the candlelight sparkled with the luminescence of a thousand shattered diamonds. Sakura gasped in surprise when she saw the walls weren't just an ugly brown, Eriol smiled at her gesture.

"From far away they're just brown...dull, bland, and pointedly ugly. But these caverns used to be mine shafts, they're full of diamonds, everywhere. Its really beautiful, huh?" Eriol explained as Sakura ran her hand along the jagged wall. She hummed a response and sat down on the low mattress.

"What were they used for? The diamonds?" Syaoran asked as he took his seat. Eriol shrugged.

"A long time ago, The Queen used them for practical magic uses, divination and whatnot. But when the Witch discovered her sister using the diamonds as something like catalysts, The Queen had the mines sealed and all the shafts filled in so the Witch couldn't find them. Only recently did the Queen open them up again for us to use as a base." he said. Syaoran sighed, watching Sakura occupy herself with the wall.

"Okay, well, small talk out of the way. You need to talk." he said, grabbing Sakuras attention moments after.

"Right." Eriol sighed. He situated himself on the ground and crossed his legs before taking a deep breath and beginning.  
"Well, where I left off, the Witch had just killed her parents. Right?" he asked thoughtfully.

"no...something about the Witch not being able to get into Sakuras world." Syaoran sighed, drawing his knees up to his chin and resting it on his elbows.

"Right. So yes...Okay, the Witch, after figuring out that entering the world above would surely kill her, she fled back to her castle, and went through a thorough interview and elimination process until she found a man named Takashi. He claimed he had been to Sakuras world before to hide from betraying his kingdom. Realizing that this man may hate the Wonderland monarchy almost or just as much as the Witch did, she accepted his terms and put him through intense training to become the most skilled assassin in both realms. He took on the name the White Rabbitt, to signify not only the mans stealth and speed, but some say his vengeance and hatred for Wonderland was as intense as the white hot heat flame at the source of a fire. When the Witch declared the man completely ready, she assigned him to locate the target; a young woman in the Upper Realm, who would have been generally hard to find, but the Rabbitt was able to detect auras, and this little girl could be defined by 'the nearly blinding and incredibly, sickeningly warm white light that surrounded her'. The White Rabbit, angry that he was not assigned to merely kill the girl, accepted the mission with malice and quickly made his way to the Upper Realm, where he spent the next four years watching this girl live her simple life. He surveyed her house day and night, learning why a small broken family was chosen to guard Wonderlands greatest treasure. It turns out when Sakura was taken to that world, the family was a small one of three. A young woman who held her own as a clairvoyant and medical practitioner, her husband, highly successful as...something, and-"

"-he works for a toy company. One of the best there is..." Sakura blurted out, a hollow voice and dead eyes. She blinked after and coughed. The two stared at her dumbfounded and she raised an eyebrow.  
"What? Why did you stop? Id like to hear about this family I had..." she exclaimed. Syaoran frowned and pursed his lips.

"I thought you said you didn't know anything about who you were before you fell down here? You just told us what your father did for work!" He said, sounding a bit offended.

"I did?? When??" Sakura asked, sounding amazed and as always, a bit clueless.

"What do you mean when? You just said it! Eriol said your father did something, being successful at it, and then you blurted out he worked for a toy company!" Syaoran said loudly.

"He does? I did? Hmm..." she muttered, staring at the wall again, falling strangely silent. Eriol cleared his throat and began again.  
"Her husband, who, I guess worked for a toy company, and their young son. The woman found baby Sakura by a large oak tree, sound asleep. She quickly took her home and without wait, made her a part of their small family. That night, she found a note stitched into the silken fabric of the blanket she was swaddled in. The note explained who the baby was and why she was left to the care of someone from their world. It asked to care for the baby like it was their own and never let her know who she really was or who she would have been should she have stayed in Wonderland. When Sakura turned 16, the White Rabbitt began to follow her in hopes that she would get curious and follow him down his hole. Two years past before the Rabbitt began to drive Sakura beyond her breaking point. The fated day she fell down here, The Rabbitt had lured her from school and down a portal he created to travel between realms. After he was sure she had fallen, he quickly made it appear as if Sakura had never existed, making sure everyone who had ever come in contact with her had those memories of her shattered, completely erased, without the slightest chance of ever regaining them. Once things were finished in the Upper Realm, he quickly set to making plans to get Sakura to the Mirror Queen. And the rest you know, Sakura." Eriol finished matter-of-factly. Sakura sighed uncomfortably and nodded. Syaorans eyebrow furrowed, recalling what had happened to her when she was in the Mirror Queens captivity, the thought made him incredibly angry and blatantly disgusted. Eriol coughed, bringing the attention back to himself before beginning to talk again.

"Now, we know the general whereabouts of the Witches castle, but she has recently cast a spell or charm on the building itself; it makes it so people can see the castle, but they cant focus on it and overlook it completely. So no one ever really knows where exactly it is, just the vicinity. Now, some of the people here have been scanning a lot of the tunnels that have been, until a few weeks ago, completely inaccessible. We have reason to believe the tunnels map across the lands in every direction, we think if we find the right one, we'll be located right next to or directly under the Witches castle. If we can get there, we'll most likely be able to devise a plan to get at the Witch, or at least destroy whatever it is she is using to hold her power. Now, unfortunately, since there have been increasing threats aimed at the Witch, The White Rabbitt has been guarding her like the greatest treasure in the world. He's ten times stronger than when he kidnapped you, thanks to charms and enchantments the Witch has cast on him, protection charms, strength, power, that junk. We have to get the Rabbit taken care of before we can even begin to dream about taking down the Witch." Eriol complained, running his hands through his hair and sighing angrily.

"What do you need us for then? It doesn't seem like we can do much to help you." Syaoran asked, sounding a bit more than annoyed. Eriol looked up and shook his head.

"I was hoping you would know. At first, that is...you see, we have...well, you'll have to meet her eventually. Anyways, she saw you coming here weeks before you knew you were yourself! She told me you were just like your grandmother and as soon as she released that information, I knew great things would come from you. You just need training. And emotion. We've got a lot of work to do, Sakura..."he exclaimed.  
"Come on, you should get started as soon as you can!" he said, grabbing for her hand and dragging her out of the crevasse in the wall.

"Wait! What the hell are you talking about?!" Sakura protested, pulling against his hand. He let go quickly and Sakura stumbled into Syaoran, who quickly wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from smashing her head into a jutting, sharp rock, right where her head would have landed. She looked up into his eyes and immediately felt a strange heat ignite on her face and neck. She quickly steadied herself and shied away into a wall.  
"I don't understand what your talking about, Eriol. I'm nobody. This girl, this person you've been telling me all about, I cant believe that. I cant even remember my last name much less my childhood, real or false. Also, how could some lady see me coming before I knew I was. It wasn't even our decision to come here, you dragged us here from the Witches castle...and there's another point. You said no one could find the Witches palace, but you were there, and there were a ton of people at the castle, who I assume come and go. So don't tell us nobody knows how to get there. I'm not sure if we can believe everything you've said at this point." Sakura said sternly, drawing both men into complete silence. Eriol put his first two fingers to his forehead and sighed.

"You were paying more attention than I thought. I didn't think you could comprehend everything I was telling you just there..." he sighed, sounding defeated. Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest and stepped in front of Sakura a fraction, in almost a protective stance. He himself didn't understand why, only that it seemed the right thing to do.

"What are you doing, Eriol. Why didn't you tell the truth?" he said angrily. Eriol shook his head.

"I told the truth...I just left bits out of it. But it was necessary." he said softly. "you need to see the woman I was talking about. She will tell you everything, without skipping anything or stretching the truth in part like I did. She'll explain everything. But wait until tomorrow. I think its time you two went to sleep." he said quietly, holding himself carefully, as if to make a quick escape. Syaoran glared at him briefly before shaking his head and laying down. Closing his eyes, Syaoran appeared to be drifting off to sleep quickly, Sakura already snoring lightly across the room. As Eriol turned to leave, he heard Syaoran whisper his name angrily, beckoning him to turn around.

"I don't know what your game is, Eriol, but I don't trust you. If you do anything to hurt Sakura or mess up her chances of getting her life back, I will make sure you never have to worry about anything save for when and where I will kill you." he warned. The lamplight coming from the sconces allowed Syaoran to see Eriol smile a little, as if taking the threat lightly.

"What do you care what I do to Sakura?" he asked, sounding like a completely different person. "If I recall, you too are missing some emotions and memories yourself...isn't...isn't compassion one of them?? Your threats are hollow and I wont heed them. If there is anyone in this world you can trust, its me...know that. Goodnight, Syaoran." Eriol said pleasantly before turning on his heel and making his way down the rope ladder just outside the dome.

* * *

Sakura woke several hours later with the small recollection of passing out while Eriol was telling a story. She felt bad about not hearing what Eriol had to say, but a sudden wave of exhaustion passed over her, and she couldn't ignore it no matter how hard she tried. She was sure, however, that she had not missed much, and she was more concerned now about meeting the strange woman Eriol kept referring to.

Syaoran had already gotten up and was sitting on the makeshift bed across from hers, making a futile attempt to get some kind of green sewer muck off of his pant leg. He looked up at her and smiled, but she noticed it was a hollow one, not as sincere as they normally were, or at least, that's how it seemed. She straightened herself out and stood up to stretch, the backs of her hands scraping against the roof of the cavern. Below, a hushed murmur of voices mixed with the constant babble of the dozens of streams branching off from the main one that split the area in half. Twenty or so people wandered the grounds, most of the traffic came from a large tunnel in the far east wall, opposite the entrance. A few women carried baskets filled with green roots and assorted plants, two people at the edge of the stream with large mesh screens over brown clay pots, apparently sifting sand and debris out of the water. One woman walked along the stream with a small child with sandy blonde hair and a pale pink dress. The woman sat her daughter down on the bank and helped her take her sandals off, the little girl wriggled her toes in the water and giggled as her mother pulled out a mesh screen similar to the others and attached it to a light beige jar, running it through the stream like the other women, hoping to get some fresh water for the day. By the entrance to the caves, Eriol spoke with three men wearing what looked like giant black boxes on their stomachs. Eriol was waving his arms almost in an angry gesture and pounded the wall with his fist. The three men looked down at their feet and with heavy heads, turned towards the entrance and headed into the dark tunnel. Eriol stormed off in the opposite direction and pushed through a bright red curtain next to another large tunnel. Sakura returned her attention to the stream, where the young woman and her daughter were splashing water at each other momentarily before she was distracted by a loud popping behind her. Sakura whirled around quickly to see Eriol standing in a cloud of red dust kicked up from the ground. He seemed upset, his posture lazy and his hair, which was a glossy black last night, was now caked with varying shades of brown dirt.

"Come...you need to meet the woman I was talking about." he ordered, grabbing Sakuras hand and Syaoran by the back of his shirt. More red dirt kicked up as another popping sound echoed in the den and she felt the familiar yet still uncomfortable pulling sensation as her feet left the ground. Moments after, her feet touched ground and she opened her eyes to a dark room lit dimly with thousands of small candles. A musky aroma filled the air, a large round table stood in the center of the room. The table was covered with a thick, blood red cloth topped with a few candles, larger than the rest, and strange silver triangle sat in the center, surround by dozens of small reflective gems. A figure sat behind the table, her face masked by a thick looking black cloak, the only thing visible being her eyes, which were a startling shade of purple. She wore layer upon layer of robes, all black or red, her neck decorated with beads that appeared brown, but in the light refracted every color known, a lot like the cave walls. Her then hands, unsurprisingly gloved, rested nonchalantly in front of the silver triangle and waited patiently for the three of them to be seated.

Eriol pressed his hands into Syaoran and Sakuras shoulders, signaling them to sit down before he himself took a seat against the back wall of the room. Sakura looked around and noticed that the walls were draped with light blue fabrics, the gold painted sconces spaced apart evenly were donned with numbers ranging from one to twelve, with smaller fixtures in between each whole number, marked with a number ranging from twelve to twenty. She realized that the entire room was laid out much like a clock, The silver triangle was the center and the candles on the table were positioned like hands on the face of a clock. Not all of the fixtures were lit, however, the only ones that were had the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the fronts. She assumed the lit fixtures signified the time, but they didn't tell her much as nowhere had she seen a window to tell her what color blue the sky was at the time. The two of them stared at the violet eyed woman expectantly, hoping to see the slightest shift in her position, only to realize soon after that she was not going to move. Eriol nodded off behind them, his head drooping to his shoulder, his breathing slow and even. The woman's eyes flicked to his sleeping figure before focusing directly on Sakura. Despite how hard she tried to look away, the woman held Sakuras gaze, making sure the connection was not broken.

Sakura began to hear a loud ringing in her ears and her vision became distorted, everything but the woman became fuzzy as the ringing grew louder and louder. Then, just as quickly as the ringing started, it stopped and a woman's voice, smooth and kind, was calling her name. Sakura opened her eyes to a white room, the violet eyed woman standing in the middle of it. Her face was uncovered, revealing unusually young features; dark brown hair that fell past her waist was pulled up into knots in some places, making something like a crown of hair. The knots were decorated with the same reddish brown gems as the ones on her necklace, which laid carefully on the woman's ivory skin. In place of her robes, she wore a simple white dress and on the back of each hand and on her forehead sat a dark purple crescent moon. Sakura heard her name again, and began to walk towards the woman, who was calling her without moving her lips. She smiled and reached out a thin hand to Sakura, who took it without a second thought. The white around them melted away to show an expansive field, hosting thousands upon thousands of flowers. White fluffy clouds speckled the light blue sky and on top of a hill that seemed years away sat a very large, very old tree, its leaves a fiery orange. The woman, who Sakura knew was named Tomoyo, without ever being told it, put her arm around Sakuras shoulder and turned her around, where the scene was nothing like the meadow she was just marveling at.

It was the meadow, still. The flowers were smaller in number and looked a bit weak. The fluffy white clouds were turning a grey, sick color and the refreshing light blue that painted the sky became the thick vibrant blue that always hung in the Wonderland sky. On the hill, the vibrant tree was wilting, its orange leaves turning to a brown color, some of them fell off the branches and littered the ground around the trunk of the tree. Beyond the hill was a real change, however. Instead of a clear, crisp horizon, Thick smog and a very industrialized city took up the space. Tall buildings spat ugly black smoke from their chimneys and a siren sounded in the distance before rolling over the hill and reaching Sakuras ears louder than she expected. Her hands flew to her ears, her eyes squeezed shut, hoping to block out the siren that disappeared as the air around the two of them got colder.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes to find the meadow had become significantly smaller and sported a thin layer of frost. The hill and the old tree were gone, in their place sat a large castle built from sparkling rocks and stones of varying sizes. The red roof provided support for several large towers that waved a small green flag proudly. Numerous trees occupied space that was once meadow, small red and yellow eyes peeked out of holes and crevasses, hoping to get a look at who was trespassing their woods. Sakura felt a light tugging sensation on her leg and noticed the tall grasses were brushing past and tugging at her clothes at an alarming rate. Moments after, she realized her and Tomoyo were racing towards the castle, where they would inevitably crash into the wall if they didn't slow down. However, as the two of them approached the wall, it disappeared into a blur of grey before turning into a large room.

Inside, there was a large bed surrounded by dark curtains in the center of the room. It was very ordinary looking and would grab much attention if it weren't for the strange blue-white light engulfing it. In front of the bed, completely safe from the glow, sat a small cradle. A young woman in white bedclothes rocked the cradle gently, humming a soothing lullaby. As the rocking slowed, the light grew more and more dim, until at last, the room was dark and silent. The woman in white slowly crept towards the bed thereafter and in what would be usually an inaudible whisper, told someone behind the curtain;  
"She's asleep, Highness. Would you have me take her now or later?" A light shuffling responded to the question before the curtains were drawn and a young man in a dark robe stepped out to look on the baby. He scratched his bearded chin before picking the babe up and cradling her in a very paternal manner. The baby wriggled in the mans arms and silently fell back to sleep, nestling her head between the mans arm and chest. In the beam of moonlight, Sakura could tell the man was crying, his shoulders heaving up and down in silent sobs. The woman quickly stumbled to his side and placed a thin, bony hand on his shoulder.  
"You know the princess is very ill, Highness. Her sickness is making the Queen ill as well, it is best to remove her from the household. Now, you know I've made arrangements with the Western Kingdom, and they are more than willing to take the young Princess in, even in her...unusual...state. This place is like poison for both your wife and the baby. If we fake the babes death, then surely the Queen will want to leave, have the place torn down, something. But with the baby here, the Lady will not relocate, especially with the off chance your pilgrimage would be stopped by those damned soldiers. Its for the best, King. You know it." the old woman chided, running a reassuring hand down his back in a circular motion. He nodded and handed the small baby to the woman.

"She's not sick...you know that. Someday, she'll be like her mother, if not greater. It is merely rare and dangerous that her abilities have come in infancy rather than in her maiden years. Take her away now, before my eyes dry of all tears." he said, kissing the baby affectionately on her forehead before wrapping her in a loving embrace and handing her back to the woman once again. He wiped is eyes and crawled back to the safety of his curtained bed as a small white light emerged from the baby and drifted to the crib, where a startling replica of the infant lay, eyes open and glassy, skin a pale shade of blue. In the morning, the young King and Queen would wake to find their precious baby dead, only it wouldn't really be their daughter. By then, the old woman and her ward would be far away, the baby settling into a plush velvet blanket in her new home, with her new parents. Images flashed before Sakuras eyes, visions of the couple mourning over a small grave, their castle coming down in a heap of rubble, the two of them going into seclusion under the image of mere common peasants. Images flashed by at the speed of light, until once again slowing down to allow Sakura to view a scene where the couple, older now, with small streaks of silver decorating their hair, offer themselves to the new rulers of their beloved Wonderland. The new monarchs, like the aged couple, must retreat into hiding as common people, but cannot allow the public to know about their escape. The couple agreed to undergo a series of spells that not only allowed them a younger vitality, but it distorted their images until they looked like the mirror image of the young King and Queen; who was pregnant with her first child, as the prior days news would have it. The couple saw it as a chance to once again take care of the large populous of people that looked to them for guidance, and start a family again. Sakura watched as the rejuvenated couple took their thrones and the scene sped up to a moment in time where the couple, looking a few years older than before, smiled warmly as a young boy ran around his fathers feet, tossing a ball of brightly colored yarn to a small black and tan kitten. Sakura smiled, knowing immediately that young, carefree lad was Syaoran as a child. She watched the images flicker forward to a point where his father lay on his deathbed, telling him stories about fantastical creatures and a young priestess and sorceress, lost somewhere in the realms, not knowing who she is, but who will someday amount to great things. The image distorted again, this time to a more gossamer picture. The Queen, again, older than the last time Sakura saw her, was sitting on a chair in a vast library, her expression vacant, her hands covered in blood. A young, impeccably beautiful woman stood before her, letting a teenage Syaoran drop to the cold floors, unconscious. She laughed and the words _mother _echoed in Sakuras ears. She gasped in recognition and shock, turning to look at Tomoyo with tear-filled eyes. The woman nodded, her violet eyes smoldering, confirming silently what Sakura already knew to be true; The Witch, the woman responsible for ruining thousands of lives including hers and Syaorans...was Syaorans own blood, her sister. The vision blurred and Sakura gasped as a strange feeling hit her in the stomach, a sensation she was not used to feeling. Her sight went black momentarily before opening her eyes to the dark, scented room, her eyes still inescapably locked with the shrouded woman's, the only change being a faint white light floating in front of her.

The woman broke their stare, allowing Sakura to glance at the small feather decorated in blue swirls floating in front of her. She carefully lifted a shaky hand up to it and watched it glide towards her chest, sinking inside her before the light went out. _You must not tell him what you saw. Fate forbids it Sakura┘just like it forbids him to tell you what he will see. If destiny allows and goes as planned, you and he will find out in your own time what the other has seen. Remember this, Sakura...you MUST NOT tell him, under ANY condition._ Tomoyo thick voice sounded in her head before everything returned to its normal silence. Sakura gasped, as if breathing for the first time in hours, and quickly looked to Syaoran, tears pouring down her face, seeming like they would never stop.

"Oh, Syaoran..." she sighed, before dropping to the ground, passing out from sheer exhaustion.

* * *

_**Woo!! Alright, so its been a while...I know, most of it because I live in a six family house, and its hard to get a moment on the computer to type...and I need a laptop!! Ugh! Anywho, here it is, I hope it was interesting! Leave a review n stuff, tell me your thoughts, opinions, constructive criticism, anything. Um, not so sure when the next chapter will be up, I've been working on a new story and debating whether or not I want to turn it into a fanfic or not. August is gonna be busy for me. I have the Breaking Dawn release party on the first and all day the 2nd, anyone who bothers me will most likely be bitten by a ravenous fan girl drooling over sparkly vampires (me!!), I've also got some things going on with this group I'm in...hopefully ill be getting my license, and of course, school starts back up and all that crap (Thank God I'm into my last year!!) Anywho, I hope everyone's summer is going fantastically and I'll try to get another chapter up when I can!  
Um, so yea, until next time!  
Ja Ne!,  
**__**Kirra**_


	9. IX: Plans

Chapter IX: Plans

Thunder rolled in the distance as a crisp bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky. Syaoran stood alone in the middle of a forgotten dirt road. Standing to his left was a wilting tree, its paper thin leaves rustled in the small, quiet wind that whipped Syaorans hair angrily, his eyes stinging and watering at the brisk, stinging sensation that was brought with the wind. His feet involuntarily began to push him forward, the road snaking through a dead valley, the grasses a brittle brown, the shrubbery, which was sparse to begin with shook violently, its dead leaves falling to the ground before getting torn up and thrown across the sky as the winds grew stronger. About a mile away stood a large green hill, bright and healthy in contrast to the dead valley and the black sky.

At the top of the green hill stood a woman in a white dress. She smiled at Syaoran warmly, gesturing him to come closer with a wag of her finger. As he approached, he saw the woman smile, her startling violet eyes warm and kind. His name echoed in his head as if she were talking to him, only he never saw her lips move. The woman took his hand and pulled him closer to her, pulling his arm around her waist and hers around his neck. She whirled around with him in something of a waltz before beckoning him to tip her backwards. As her long black hair touched the ground, he felt his stomach heave as her fingers knotted in his hair. As he pulled back to get back into the dance, the woman's face shifted, her eyes changing from the strange purple that seemed to capture his thought momentarily to his favorite shade of emerald green. Her face and body writhed in his arms until, moments later, Sakura stood in the place of the violet eyed woman. He smiled at her as his stomach flipped uncomfortably, like he knew it always did when he saw Sakura, and his eyes trailed down her body, noticing that she had on the exact dress the other woman had on, her fingers were long and slender, the nails painted a crimson red. When he looked back up, the violet eyed woman had returned, only this time, her eyes were cold, and she held herself at a distance from Syaoran, who felt his heart thump angrily when he realized Sakura had left. I know. You would rather look into her eyes. Syaorans brow furrowed. He wanted to shake his head, to tell her that by far, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but his mouth wouldn't move, his throat clenched, not permitting any words to fall out. The woman nodded, accepting what she knew was the inevitable truth before pulling out of his arms and settling for simply taking his hand and leading him off the hill, which was now just as brown and lifeless as the valley.

_Its only right, I suppose. Sakura is one of a kind and more perfect for you than you know. She's..._Syaoran heard the woman, but couldn't focus on what she had said. Her voice became background noise as he concentrated on the black tar road that had replaced the dirt one.

Buildings tall as the sky crept up everywhere as a thick fog covered every street, every corner and building except for one road that seemed to call to him. He ran down the small street, somehow knowing that whatever was at the end of it would give him answers he didn't really know he was looking for until now. The violet-eyed woman caught up with him quickly, apparently angry that he had both ignored her and gone on without her. She watched as his expression shifted a thousand different times before it settled on satisfied. He looked up at a large white house, the windows were all dark except for one single window at the very top of the house. A yellow light poured out, obscured momentarily by a black figure pacing back and forth, apparently cradling something. The woman next to him sighed and took his hand again before leading Syaoran into the house and up the stairs quickly before pushing him into the room to watch a young woman, pacing back and forth, humming a soft lullaby to the baby girl fidgeting in her arms. The young woman looked tired, like she hadn't slept in ages, as she turned again and started another lullaby. This one was a bit louder, its melody more soothing then the last one. After a few more moments of pacing, the woman gave up and settled on an old looking rocking chair in the corner. There were dark circles under her eyes and her smile was happy, but a bit false and very forced. Premature wrinkles brushed out from the corners of her eyes, which were a soft blue, and she crossed one leg over the other and began pushing the chair back and forth. The baby quickly settled down and drifted off to sleep, allowing the young mother to drop her head slowly and make an attempt to sleep a bit before the baby woke again, demanding attention.

The scene in the room shifted quickly in a blur of yellows and whites before it settled again. Syaoran watched as the young woman, a few years older now, lay in bed, her complexion was a pale, sickly green color. She coughed quietly into a small white cloth. As her hand pulled back, Syaoran noticed that there were red spots scattered everywhere in obvious contrast to the white. The woman's body shook with heavy coughing this time, the cloth changing from white to red in seconds. Moments later, a tall man rushed in, a very young Sakura in his arms. Behind him ran a young boy about Syaorans age, his black hair was tousled and his clothes wrinkled, like he had slept in them. The woman doubled over, sliding out of the bed and onto the floor, tremors shaking her whole body. A thin stream of blood laced over her fingers, the once white cloth no longer helping. All sounds in the room suddenly stopped, or at least it seemed that way. The man quickly put little Sakura into the arms of her brother as he dove for a small phone sitting on a table a few feet away. His fingers frantically fumbled for the right buttons before his hand flew to his ear. He spoke quickly to the person on the other end as his wife sunk into a fetal position. Moments later the man screamed angrily as he threw the phone against the wall, shattering it into a thousand little pieces. He fell to his knees and crawled over to the woman on the floor. Her coughing was softer now, not as harsh, but her breathing was labored and somewhat choked, like there was something in her throat that was stopping her. The man gathered the dying woman in his arms and began to slowly rock back and forth as he choked out sobs. Sakuras brother slowly walked over, bouncing her carefully before placing the babe in her dying mothers arms. Between choked out sobs and strangled breaths, the mother rocked her daughter lovingly and cooed sweetly, telling her everything would be alright, that mommy wasn't going to be sick or 'having really bad owies' anymore. The baby smiled happily up at her mother, never realizing that her smile would be the last one she would give her mother, and in return, the last one she would receive from her.

By the time the ambulance came, it was far too late. Sakura was crying loudly and uncontrollably, reaching out for her mother, who was lying still as stone in her husbands arms. The room was silent albeit for the roaring sirens coming through the windows. Moments later, the woman's body was lifted onto a thin bed and covered with a sheet. She was quickly wheeled out of the room and into the waiting ambulance outside. Moments later the sirens were gone and the scene was shifting again, the colors fading from varying shades of reds and blues to a dull grey. The funeral flashed by quickly; it was raining and Sakura was asleep...it seemed that she was the only thing Syaoran could focus on anymore. The scene shifted again, like he was flipping through a dozen pictures at a time, the faces and places blurring to the point of recognizing a few things, but not registering them. They slowed down progressively and the woman beside him, who had told him her name was Tomoyo, but he had forgotten until now, took his hand and gripped it tightly, signaling him that something unpleasant was coming. The images flashed to a mostly black room, lit only by an off-white glow peeking out from behind a door. Inside the dark room sat a large bed, decorated by a few dark colored curtains and red bedding. Next to the bed sat a small table with a lamp on it, and next to that sat a somewhat large square table. A folding chair sat inches from it, a figure sitting in it, her head pressed to the cool metal table. Syaoran took a step forward, feeling like he hadn't moved in centuries and made his way carefully to the figure at the table. The small amount of light coming through the door allowed enough clarification to tell him that the figure was Sakura. She was asleep, wearing nothing but her underwear and a thin purple robe. She was unusually thin and looked like she was uncontrollably shivering. A thin tube sat under her left hand, which looked like a very breakable form of porcelain, and was directed towards a thin line of white powder. A few empty bottles sat around the table, more littered the rest of the room, along with empty packets and cartons, and a bit of crumpled tin foil. The door just behind her opened to allow a tall man with spiked blonde hair in. He sighed and picked her up carefully and placing her on the bed before covering her up and crawling in next to her. She looked far too young to be in such a place, too young even to be considered a woman, and tears quickly filled Syaorans eyes and blurred the room. Tomoyo's hand gripped his tighter as the room began to spin. Syaoran heard the crying long before he realized it was his own, and opened his eyes to a white room, where his sobs were overpowered by a loud, anguished screaming. Sakura lay strapped to a bed, thrashing and screaming like she was suffering excruciating pain. Sweat was covering every inch of her body and the thin hospital dress she wore clung to her body like an extra layer of skin. She didn't look like the Sakura he knew, but something told him this scene was from a time as short as a year ago. Her bones jutted out and made her looked deformed. Her usually pale complexion was even lighter and he could see every one of her veins, however they looked weak, wrong. Her generally vibrant and captivating green eyes were dull and dark there, not showing any spark or hint of genuine curiosity that she seemed to always possess. She screamed and thrashed for a good few minutes before several nurses in white dresses rushed in. It took three nurses to merely stop her from writhing, one to keep her arm steady, and another to stick a small syringe into her arm, causing her to calm down almost instantly. Sakuras body went limp quickly and remained that way for what seemed like hours before he watched her father come in, sit down and talk to her for a while before sighing as if he were disappointed, and left. A few more visitors walked in and out throughout the scene, two of them were girls about Sakuras age and wore uniforms. Another was, he thought, her brother, much older, with a man about his height and age clinging to his arm affectionately. Sakuras eyes swung wildly from face to face, but her body never moved. He watched the scene switch again to Sakura as she looked now, chasing after a tall black figure. She ran down alleys and small streets before coming up to a large green hill decorated by a single oak tree that was very large and very old. The shadowed figure stopped under the tree before laughing menacingly and sliding carefully under the tree. Without so much as a glance back, Sakura dove under the tree after the man and everything went black. When the darkness cleared, Sakura was seen walking through the Tulgey Wood, holding back tears and making an attempt to stay calm. He watched as she talked with two identical little girls, who smiled and told her where she was, but it seemed to only confuse her more. She stumbled across a cottage later on, that looked a bit old and very quaint. A large table sat in front of it, garnished with thousands of place settings for a tea party. At the head of the table sat two men that looked strikingly like Sakuras brother and the man that was attached to his arm previously. He watched as they poured a milky liquid from a crystalline bottle into a cup of tea and handed it to Sakura, watching happily as the venom took affect. The scene flickered to the two of them walking with Takashi, laughing about how easy it was to get Sakura. Images flickered once more before settling on a dark room with an unconscious Sakura locked in a very large bird cage. The Witch walked into the room and talked to Sakura for a while, explaining a few things, but at the same time, not giving away anything, and then she left. A few moments later, Syaorans head began to throb painfully, he threw his hands to his head, hoping to quell the pain, but was instead met by a voice. The rest you already know. Tomoyo's voice sounded in his head.

_You must never talk to her about this, you must never let her remember her life before she returned to Wonderland. Who knows what would happen if she were to find out by your tongue. Even I, with my great affinity for premonitions, cannot foresee the outcome. However, she will remember...gradually and by herself. Many, many hardships lie in store for Sakura and yourself ahead, but you must take them on carefully and with great thought, otherwise you two will surely die. But know this, Syaoran: You two are linked by fate, should one of you falter or your strings break, the other will most surely meet the same untimely end. Protect the sorceress, guard Sakura with your life, Syaoran, and everything will end in great triumph...Wonderland will finally- after a thousand long years- see peace._ An image of two sets of glowing yellow threads flashed before Syaorans eyes before he saw Tomoyo's own violet gaze and a glowing white orb.

_Use this well. Compassion will be a great adversary and dilemma, but it will also be one of your greatest strengths._ Her voice faded and Syaorans vision distorted once more before his eyes focused back on the dark cavern and the shrouded woman sitting across from him. As he fell backwards, he saw Sakura laying a few inches from him and reached out a hand to touch hers before everything was covered by an impenetrable darkness.

It seemed like they lay on the hard ground for hours before eventually coming around. The room looked the same, if not a bit darker, and the smoke had gotten a bit thicker. However, Tomoyo sat in the same place, like she hadn't moved an inch the entire time. Eriol was awake, leaning up against a wall and running a careful hand across Sakuras head, his fingers parting her hair delicately. A strange stabbing pain hit Syaoran in the stomach and he quickly looked away, staring at a black wall while they all apparently waited for Sakura to wake up. Eriol watched her face carefully in hopes for her expression to shift, and Tomoyo, though still unmoving, stared at her with a concerned gaze. She should have come around by now. Tomoyo's voice echoed. Eriol nodded in agreement as Syaoran stared with a curious gawk, unnerved at the fact they could hear her without Tomoyo ever making a sound.

"What's wrong with her? Is it bad that she's not awake yet?" Syaoran asked, now looking at Sakura with everyone else.

_Nothing wrong...just unusual. She must be having a hard time figuring everything out. She'll come around eventually_. Tomoyo said. Syaoran nodded and crossed his arms across his chest, shifting into a comfortable position. The three of them sat like that for hours it seemed before Sakura finally began to come around. She shifted uncomfortably and grumbled something under her breath before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She looked around at everyone lazily and sighed.

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked dryly. Eriol shrugged and smiled at her.  
"Not long. How are you feeling?" he asked, shifting his weight so he could look at her face better. She smiled, but it never reached her eyes and faded quickly.  
"Alright, I guess. My head hurts though. Syaoran!!" she said, turning her attention quickly to him, like she had something really important to say.  
"Yeah?" he looked at Sakura expectantly, but her brow furrowed, like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't and finally settled for;  
"I had a dream about you. That's all." she sighed, her eyes flicking to Tomoyo quickly. Tomoyo nodded at her, as if understanding the internal dilemma Sakura was having, and approved of her response.  
"You...had a dream? About me?" he asked, watching Sakura smile at him and nod.  
"Yes. Though I cant remember what it was about, I'm sorry." she shrugged, scratching her head quickly and making to stand up.  
"No, its alright. I just think its funny. Was it a good dream?" he asked, standing up with her and grabbing her elbow to support her when her legs suddenly gave out. She looked up at him and nodded, another smile spread across her face before she pulled herself upright and let go of Syaorans arm. Eriol frowned and stood up moments after them, brushing the dirt off of his pants and stretching, his bones creaking and popping, relieved to move after staying immobile for so long.  
"I bet you're hungry, Sakura...and Syaoran. Why don't we go see what's to eat, I think Tomoyo needs to think about a few things." he said, looking back at Tomoyo carefully, like he was harboring a secret between the two of them, as he led them out of the room and into the main area, where the light stung their eyes, allowing the two of them, for the first time, to notice that there was natural, pure sunlight filtering in between the rocks above them.

The tunnel that Sakura had seen everyone coming to and from before was the tunnel Eriol led the two of them down now. It was brightly lit by little lamps every inch or so and it opened up into a small area that was more of a garden than anything. The area wasn't covered by a rocky roof or the strange cargo nets that sometimes decorated the ceilings, instead there was nothing but the constant blue sky. Wood tables scattered across the large, open area, along with several different kinds of flowers and a few small trees. A large metal structure sat to the south of the area, and was sitting in a large tub filled to the brim with ice chunks. On top of the metal table sat an assortment of foods; several varieties of fruits, though they were all very strangely colored and shaped, There were large tin plates with stacks of meat towering on top of them, and others with thick slabs of bread, all spread generously with cream. Lettuce heads sat on silver platters alongside the makings for salads, and a thick red liquid of some sort filled large bowls, stacks of ceramic cups next to them. Sakuras stomach gurgled loudly, urging a snicker out of both Eriol and Syaoran as he led the two of them to the silver counter and handed them two thin slabs of grey sheet rock. Syaoran raised an eyebrow at Eriol, who shrugged and responded with a condescending grunt. The three of them quickly piled the plates with everything they could grab from the counter and quickly found a vacant patch of grass under a few trees, an artificial looking light filtering through the tops providing some warmth.

They ate slowly, relishing the calm and quiet, and the fact that this was the first honest meal Sakura and Syaoran had eaten in weeks. The garden was quiet for the most part, save for the clank of dishes and the strange rustling in the trees, like there was a wind that nobody could feel. Although the meal was bland and unseasoned, it was undeniably filling and quickly filled the three of them with an energy they definitely didn't have before. With the freshly obtained stamina boost, Eriol allowed the two to finish eating, then decided there was no better time to escort them around the entire cave system. He lead them through countless tunnels and caverns, pointing out the specific importance of each room. Most of the caverns were large, with many more little caves dug into them. Many of them were sheltered by curtains or planks of wood, and the insides were decorated with the same cargo net roofs, which in the cases of these rooms, held the tenants possessions, like trunks of clothes or little trinkets from where they lived before. The largest room by far in the mountain, much larger in fact, than the main room, was the infirmary. The walls were smooth, like they had been chiseled down, wooden cabinets were built into the walls, along with rows of shelving and cupboards, all stocked with thousands of bottles and boxes. A few beds sat next to each other at the far end of the room, each separated by a thick white curtain. A big silver table sat off to the east end of the room, topped with several large tubes and bottles filled with strangely colored liquids and several notebooks. Another table, this one considerably smaller than the silver one and made of wood sat at the far south side of the room, a small lamp sat on top of it, its light shining on a few thick books and a pile of documents. A man slept at the table, snoring loudly despite his head being buried in his arms. Sakura smiled briefly at the spectacle before being led out of the room again by Eriol, who was tugging on her arm while explaining something about the infirmary.  
"-Anyways, that was Dr. Terada. He's a complete genius when it comes to medical problems, but he's not really good at anything else. Kind of a waste if you ask me." Eriol concluded. Syaoran stopped paying attention a while ago. He was more concerned now about what Eriol had said to him the other night, and how his words seemed very obvious and truthful. _What do you care what I do to Sakura? If I recall, you too are missing some emotions and memories yourself...isn't...isn't compassion one of them??_ He frowned as Eriol tugged her arm again when she stopped in front of a small well that looked very out of place, and mutter something about how it was extremely unimportant and not worth stopping to stare at.

The tour came to its conclusion when the reached what Syaoran had concluded were the barracks. He showed the two of them their rooms, Syaorans being disastrously placed at the far end of the room, Eriols between his and Sakuras. Sakura frowned as she watched Syaoran clamber up to his room.  
"Sakura? What's the matter? Are you not happy with where I put you?" Eriol asked, a look of concern spreading quickly across his face. His eyes darted from hers to her room quickly before settling back on her face, which remained looking concerned. She shook her head quickly and opened her mouth to speak, but fumbled with the execution.  
"No. no, its just. Uh...ah. Well. I know it will sound rude. Or something. So never mind. Really it's fine. I love the room." She sighed, reflecting momentarily on her choice of words. Eriol shrugged and turned away.  
"Alright then. How about you, Syaoran? Okay?" He called, smirking at the small form of Syaorans head peeking over the wall.  
"Peachy." He called down, obviously less than happy, which seemed to fuel Eriols enthusiasm.  
"Actually, Eriol...I do have a request...a small one. But it would mean so much." Sakura called to Eriol, who had just turned to leave. He turned quickly and walked briskly to Sakura, who was looking mousy in comparison to Eriol's cocky, self-confidence.  
"um...you see, I would feel SO much safer...more comfortable, really, if ah...Syaoran and I were to...um...share. A room. Its just, Its only been the two of us, for a while. And I've grown to feel safe around him. I don't think I'd sleep well if he were to stay all the way across the room...near the ceiling. In a tiny room. With hardly any leg room. And I'm thinking of him here too! I mean to say...what will sleeping in a cramped room do for his back?? He'll never be able to fight with a sore back. Honestly." Sakura said, beginning to ramble. At this point, Syaoran had already made his way back to the ground and was shuffling over to her side when Eriol pursed his lips and grunted. He narrowed his eyes and nodded sharply before agreeing with a snort.  
"Alright. I just figured you would want your privacy. But okay. Yea, you can share a room. Will it be big enough., however?" He asked, looking for any reason to keep them separate. On this note, the two of them turned to look inside the cave, nod once and turn back to Eriol.  
"Plenty" the said in unison, throwing Eriol off guard.  
"Alright. Well...you're free to do...whatever, I guess. Enjoy." He sighed, hunching out of the room with a sort of jealous glint in his eye. Noticing Eriols defeated stance only made Syaoran crack a smile. For whatever reason, knowing that Eriol was miserable made Syaoran all too happy. He scuttled inside the room and shuffled to the far back, making sure Sakura had enough room to spread out.  
"you know" she said, noticing the small amount of room Syaoran gave himself. "There's plenty of room for you to have a bit more space than a corner, Syaoran." she said, unrolling the bed that was leaning on the wall behind her. He smiled and shrugged.  
"Yea, I know, but I'd be happier knowing you're comfortable than knowing I'm comfortable." he sighed. Sakura stared at him a moment before reaching for his bed and pulling it so it was next to hers.  
"And I be happier knowing both of us were safe AND comfortable. Now go to sleep, I think I heard Eriol talking about 'setting the plans in motion' tomorrow, and who knows what that means for us." she said, drawing the thick blue blanket she found with the bed up to her chin before rolling onto her side and closing her eyes. She fell asleep quickly, letting Syaoran watch her breath slowly and evenly before he too settled down and fell asleep, not knowing that what Eriol was planning could potentially destroy everything. For everything he already knew, Syaoran was at peace this very moment, knowing Sakura was next to him, safe and content.

Sakura woke up several hours later to a bright light shining directly into her eyes.  
"Get up you two. We've got to get a move on." Eriols voice sounded, echoing throughout the cavern.  
"Alright, alright. Just turn the damn flashlight off!" Syaoran grumbled before rolling over and getting to his knees.  
"Well, are you going to let us out, or do you plan on standing there all day?" he quipped, his brown eyes looking almost yellow from the lights reflection. Sakura heard Eriol sigh and mutter something about Syaoran before the light moved and the penetrating darkness resumed, leaving nothing but little blotches to cloud their vision. Sakura climbed out first, followed by a groggy Syaoran, who tripped over a rock and ran his head into Sakuras back. Normally, she wouldn't have said anything, except maybe a concern for whether or not he was alright, but this time, she giggled. It was light and somewhat reminded Syaoran of the tinkling of bells, and just as quickly as it came, it went, and there was silence again. "Sakura, what was that?" Eriol asked, his hand running down her arm to meet her hand. She shook her head quickly and pulled her hand away from his.  
"Nothing. It was funny, that's all. Syaorans not much of a morning person, you see...so its funny how clumsy he is, where he is normally really agile." she explained, thinking Eriol was confused about what had happened, not about her laugh. Syaoran shook his head.  
"Sakura...you never laugh. At anything. Did you get another emotion last night? Did you have any weird dreams?" he asked, taking her shoulders in his hands. He felt her shrug and sigh.  
" I had a dream about you, Syaoran. But I don't remember what it was about." she said somberly. "Oh well. Hey Eriol, what did you get us up for? You said we have to get going? Where?" she asked. Eriol sighed again, and shone the light in her face, her green eyes reflecting like a cats in the night briefly before returning to their normal Emerald Green hue. "Come with me." he said. "I think we found a way into The Witches castle."

* * *

After eating a rushed breakfast and changing clothes, The three assembled in Tomoyo's room. The red curtains and tapestries had been removed from the walls everything on the table had been removed. In Tomoyo's normal place behind the table sat a young woman with long black hair that was tied up in a bun and glistening violet eyes. She wore a crimson sweater and a black traveling cloak, a small smile playing across her face.  
"Tomoyo!" Sakura said happily, like she was greeting an old friend. Tomoyo smiled wider, showing dainty white teeth and stood up to give Sakura and Syaoran a quick hug before bowing formally to Eriol.  
"Greetings!" she said happily, her voice incomparable to anything either of them had ever heard. "I take it Eriol has told you the good news. I must tell you, I was elated when he told me what was to happen, and far more than Ecstatic when he invited me to join you all on your quest. I feel I can contribute a great deal. However, I feel I should get your consent before fully agreeing to join you. Sakura, Syaoran, may I join you?" she asked, bowing low, her hair touching the ground. The two smiled wide, and Syaoran touched her elbow before helping Tomoyo return to her former position.  
"Of course you can come. We wouldn't have it any other way." Syaoran accepted gratefully as Sakura answered with a strong hug and a squeal.  
"Why, Sakura. You've found another emotion haven't you?" Tomoyo said, looking into her eyes, a coy smile reaching her lips. Sakura shrugged before nodding once and turning around to grab Syaorans hand.  
"I had a dream about him last night. I don't remember what it was about, but when I woke this morning, I laughed. So it must have been a good one, right?" she said, swinging their hands back and forth. Tomoyo smiled and nodded.  
"Well of course. I hope all of your dreams are good ones, little priestess." she said, not expecting the words to wipe any trace of a smile off Sakuras face like it did. The hands stopped swinging and she averted her eyes to the ground, hoping to avoid eye contact.  
"not all of them are." she said quietly. Tomoyo frowned.  
"Well. That's something to look into. But later. Right now, Eriol, why don't you tell them your plan and get them ready to go. I'll go make tea. Tea always helps." she said, shuffling out of the room quickly. Eriol cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit.  
"Alright, so for the past few weeks, I've been sending groups out to excavate the tunnels that have caved in over time, hoping that one would grant us passage to The Witches castle. Well, we think we've found one such tunnel. Now, the way my ability works is this; As long as I can see my target, I can transport there. I found you, Sakura because I knew what you looked like. However, I cant transport back into the room I found you in because you are no longer there. And when I transport, I can only concentrate on one thing, that means taking in a rooms details is out, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get back home. This means I have no idea what part of the castle you were in or where leaving the room would leave us. However, the other day, one of my men broke ground and saw that the tunnel lead us practically to the front door of the castle. So I took a look and sure enough, there was a wall of hedges, then the castle, in all its macabre glory. I kept that image, and with it, I can take all four of us there, as long as we transport from that exact spot in the tunnels. Now. Once inside the castle, we may have to split up into teams, and we MUST find Takashi, the Queens head hit-man and master assassin. Sakura, you should be able to recognize him, as he is the one that led you here. If we are able to take out Takashi, we'll have a clear shot at The Witch, and our problems will be solved. Wonderland will be saved. Everyone will get their memories back and it will be as if nothing had ever happened." he concluded, obviously happy with himself.  
"Sounds good, but how do we kill Takashi, he's the best assassin this place has ever seen. The mans untouchable." Syaoran asked, genuinely concerned. Eriol nodded.  
"There is the tricky part. He is only one man, and if the four of us can successfully ambush him, we should be able to take him down, what with Tomoyo and Sakuras magic and our swordsmanship...whats that face for? Sakura?" he stopped, staring at Sakura, who was frowning at the floor.  
"I don't know any magic. I'm kind of useless really." she sighed, looking up at Eriol through her eyelashes. He shook his head.  
"You're not useless. Don't worry, you'll learn eventually. Its fine. We have a plan B" he said, shrugging it off like it was nothing.  
"What's plan B, then?" Syaoran asked. Eriol frowned.  
"I haven't thought of one yet. Come on then. No time to waste." He barked, leaving the room quickly.

* * *

"Now, remember to take each others hands and don't let go, no matter what. Got it?" Eriol commanded as they stood at the mouth of the tunnel. The tree nodded in unison and Sakura laced her fingers through Syaorans. Eriol frowned.  
"I don't mean now, I mean when its time to transport. You don't have to hold his hand yet." He said in an incredibly monotone voice. Sakura shrugged, but smiled at Syaoran, who was grinning at Eriol.  
"I know. Come on then, lead the way." Sakura said, pointing into the tunnels. Eriol grinned at her attempted command and shook his head.  
"Stay away from Syaoran, Sakura, he's starting to rub off on you a bit." he chuckled, making the group laugh momentarily, before sighing and walking into the dark entrance. Eriol lifted the lantern over his head, making it a bit easier for everyone to see where they were walking. The thin trail of water that wound through all the tunnels was a bit wider here, getting the bottoms of everyone's boots soaked and caused an unpleasant sloshing sound to echo from wall to wall. They walked for a good hour before Eriol stopped them and reached for Tomoyos hand.  
"This is it." he said in a whispered tone. "Take hold, everyone. And remember, don't let go. At all." he said, staring up at the ceiling. Hands clasped others quickly, Sakuras connecting with Tomoyos just moments before a deafening roaring sound filled everyone's ears and they were torn from the ground. There was nothing but blurred objects and the roaring sound for a good minute before they touched ground. Landing with a resounding thud, Sakura quickly picked herself up from the ground and found Syaorans hand again, as all four of them stared at the monstrous labyrinth before them. Beyond the maze of hedges stood the castle, ominous and looming over everything else.

* * *

_**Well that's chapter nine. Sorry it took so frickin' long for me to post up, I've been busy with school and rehearsal for the play. I've been tutoring as well, so yea. I have been really busy.Oh, and i know Changed Tomoyo a bit. But i refuse to give her that God awful squeaky voice she had in the show. Besides, shes a medium/psychic, they tend to be deep and mysterious sounding. I kind of look at her in a matronly way, like shes just out for everyones best interests, shes also really concerned about Sakura and Syaoran, looking out for them and watching over them...in somewhat of a motherly fashion i guess. In any case, I wanted to tell you that I am in the works of penning an original story. I'll put the first chapter up on fiction press when I get the chance, and I'll tell you when its posted. More info on it prolly at the end of the next chapter. Anywho. That's it. Leave me your comments, I love to hear them. Ja!  
Kirra**_

_**Oh, and I've gotten into a new thing! WOO! its a series of books by P.C and Kristin Cast, there are four books right now...Marked, Betrayed, Chosen and Untamed, it's The House of Night series. REALLY good, I love it But then again, we all know how I feel about vampires. I LOVE UM!  
Kay bye.**_


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